Paella de Marisco (Seafood Paella)
Photo: Manuel M. Vicente from Spain, CC BY 2.0
Seafood paella is the Valencian coast's best-known rice dish, and this version follows a traditional method from Valencian chef Juanry Segui. The flavor starts with a broth simmered from crab, shrimp heads, onion and garlic, which goes into a sofrito of grated tomato and paprika. The prize is the socarrat, the thin layer of toasted rice that forms on the bottom of the pan and is eaten across the Spanish-speaking world.
Instructions
Put the crab, shrimp heads, bay leaf, whole garlic cloves, onion and water in a large pot and boil until the liquid has reduced to 2 liters. Every so often, press the solids against the bottom of the pot with a ladle or potato masher to release their flavor. Strain the broth and set it aside.
Heat the olive oil in a paellera over a medium flame. Add the mussels and cover them with a pot lid that fits over the mussels but not the whole pan. When they have opened, take them out and set them aside.
Add the Norway lobsters with a pinch of salt on each and sear them, then remove them from the pan. Cook the diced squid for about 2 minutes, then the shrimp for about 2 minutes.
Add the minced garlic and cook until golden brown, about a minute. Stir in the grated tomatoes and cook for about 4 minutes to make a sofrito.
Add the rice and stir until every grain is coated with sofrito. Add the paprika and cook for about 2 minutes.
Pour in 2 liters of the broth and add the saffron or food coloring. Mix well and simmer for about 3 minutes, then taste the broth and add salt a pinch at a time if it is bland.
Return the lobsters and mussels to the pan and keep cooking. After about 20 minutes, start tasting the rice and lower the heat a little. Taste again every 10 minutes, lowering the heat slightly each time, until the center of the grain is just underdone. This can take 30 minutes to an hour depending on your equipment.
The paella is ready when the rice is slightly firm to the bite, moist but not soupy, with a layer of toasted rice on the bottom of the pan. Take it off the heat, cover it with a white towel rather than foil, and let it rest for 5 minutes before serving.
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