Seafood Paella Recipe

You can make a delicious, authentic Paella–the most popular dish of Spain–in your own kitchen with simple ingredients like rice, saffron, vegetables, chicken, and seafood. If you love cooking International food, you will fall in love with this comforting dish!

If you love Spanish food, don’t miss my other popular recipes like Torijas and Tortilla de Patatas.

My goal with this paella recipe was to use the tutelage I received while living in Madrid to create a traditional Spanish paella that anyone can make (and without special equipment, like a paella pan). After lots of trial and error, I am so excited to share everything I know and have learned about making Paella, as authentically and practically for the home cook, as possible.

Spanish Paella

You can make a delicious, authentic Paella–the most popular dish of Spain–in your own kitchen with simple ingredients like rice, saffron, vegetables, chicken, and seafood.

Prep: 20min

Total: 60min

Serving Size: 1 serving

Nutrition Facts: calories 535 kcal, Carbohydrate 59 g, Protein 37 g, Fat 15 g, Saturated Fat 3 g, Cholesterol 260 mg, Sodium 1159 mg, Fiber 3 g, Sugar 3 g, servingSize 1 serving

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup Extra virgin olive Oil ((Spanish EVOO if you have it))
• 1 Onion (, diced)
• 1 bell pepper (, diced (I like to use ½ red and ½ green))
• 4 cloves Garlic
• 3 roma tomatoes (, very finely diced (or 8 oz. tomato sauce))
• Bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon paprika (, sweet or smoked)
• 1 pinch saffron threads*
• Salt and pepper
• ¼ cup white wine
• 4 boneless , skinless chicken thighs (, cut into pieces*)
• ¼ cup fresh chopped parsley (chopped, divided)
• 2 cups Spanish Rice*
• 5 cups Chicken Broth*
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• ½ lb Jumbo Shrimp or prawns (, about 12 – peeled, tail on)
• 1/2 lb Mussels ((about 10-12), cleaned properly (beards off))
• 8 oz calamari rings
• Lemons (, for garnish)

Instruction:

1. *Please note, this is my version of Paella Mixta I learned to make while living in Madrid, Spain. I’ve simplified the recipe as best I could for anyone to be able to make without a special pan or equipment. There are MANY variations to Paella so please be respectful that my authentic recipe may be different from yours!
2. Add olive oil to a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, bell peppers and garlic and cook until onion is translucent. Add chopped tomato, bay leaf, paprika, saffron salt and pepper. Stir and cook for 5 minutes. Add white wine and cook for 10 minutes. Taste and add salt if needed.
3. Add chicken pieces, 2 tablespoons chopped parsley and rice to the pot. Cook for 1 minute.
4. Pour the broth slowly all around the pan and jiggle the pan to get the rice into an even layer. (Do not stir the mixture going forward!).
5. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low. Give the pan a gentle shake back and forth just once or twice during cooking. (We don’t ever stir the rice, so that a crispy crust forms at the bottom, called a socarrat).
6. Cook for about 15-18 minutes (uncovered), then nestle the shrimp, mussels and calamari into the mixture, sprinkle peas on top and continue to cook (without stirring) for about 5 more minutes. Watch for most of the liquid to be absorbed and the rice at the top nearly tender. (If for some reason your rice is still not cooked, add ¼ cup more water or broth and continue cooking).
7. Remove pan from heat and cover pan with a lid or tinfoil. Place a kitchen towel over the lid and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
8. Garnish with fresh parsley and lemon slices. Serve.

Traditional Spanish Seafood Paella Recipe

This easy seafood paella recipe will get you a plate of rice every bit as delicious as the stuff served in tapas bars from Barcelona to Valencia! Just make sure to bring an empty stomach.

Prep: 15min

Total: 50min

Yield: 4

Serving Size: 1 serving

Nutrition Facts: calories 620.73 kcal, Carbohydrate 84.56 g, Protein 14.35 g, Fat 19.66 g, Saturated Fat 2.84 g, Cholesterol 53.38 mg, Sodium 928.04 mg, Fiber 2.7 g, Sugar 5.06 g, servingSize 1 serving

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup olive oil ((80 ml))
• 1 large onion (finely diced)
• 2 garlic cloves (minced)
• 2 medium tomatoes (peeled and diced)
• 1.5 teaspoons sweet paprika (Spanish pimentón de la Vera is the best if you can get it.)
• 1 pinch saffron threads
• 2 large squid (cleaned and sliced into 1/4-inch rings, tentacles left whole (not used in this dish))
• 2 cups rice ((380 g) see notes)
• 1 cup white wine ((240 ml))
• 3 cups of seafood stock ((720 ml))
• 12 prawns (or jumbo shrimp, shells on if possible for extra flavor)
• 12 mussels

Instruction:

1. In a large saucepan over high heat, bring the white wine and seafood stock to a simmer. Add a pinch of saffron threads and keep warm.
2. Meanwhile, put a large (16-inch) paella pan (see notes) over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. When hot, add the onion to the pan and saute until translucent, stirring often.
3. Add the garlic and cook until aromatic (about 1-2 minutes). Before it starts to brown, add the tomato and stir, adding in the paprika and a pinch of salt. Continue to stir and saute until the tomatoes are reduced and the oil is sizzling.
4. Gently add the squid to the pan and stir to coat in the tomato mixture. Saute for about a minute, to give some color to the squid.
5. Next, add the rice and stir to combine. After a minute of sauteing, spread the rice evenly across the pan (don’t worry if it looks like a thin layer, it will puff up).
6. Gently add the simmering white wine and stock to the pan, all in one go. Reduce the heat to low, and cook, without stirring, for 10 minutes. Carefully lay the prawns/shrimp in a circle on top of the rice and cook for a further 10 minutes, turning the shrimp over as they start to turn pink. If the rice starts to dry out before the shrimp is cooked, you can top it up with a bit more hot stock, half a cup at a time.
7. Meanwhile, steam the mussels by putting them in a large skillet with a tight-fitting lid in half an inch of water. When the shells open, they are cooked! (Discard any that do not open).
8. When the stock in the paella pan fully evaporates, you will hear a faint cracking from the bottom of the pan as the socarrat starts to form. If you don’t hear anything, you can raise the heat to medium for a short burst!
9. When the rice is ready, remove the pan from the heat and arrange the mussels on top of the rice. Serve from the pan, with wedges of fresh lemon.

Authentic Spanish Seafood Paella Recipe – Colab With Best Bites Forever

FAQ

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