Spanish Seafood Paella Recipe..Celebrating Unity and Sharing!

Posted on by Young

zbyHjZE

Calling out to all foodies with a penchant for seafood to join us for this Spanish Seafood Paella Odyssey which will make you drool for sure! Lip smacking flavours and a dish which is a showstopper on your dining table is what our recipe promises…

Foodism is a community of food lovers, enthusiasts and professionals where they create, connect and collaborate with all things food! This food blog is for everyone – irrespective of their age, gender and background – be he/she a foodie millennial, a home chef/baker, a food photographer or critic or an F & B Sector Player … the only pre-requisite is a passion for food.

This blog presents a closer look at Seafood Paella which is one of the best-known dishes in Spanish cuisine. The dish takes its name from the wide, shallow traditional pan used to cook the dish on an open fire, Paella being the word for a frying pan in Valencia’s national language. Interestingly the government of Valencia extolling the history and virtues of the Paella provided it with a protected cultural status In November 2021 on the grounds that it is “the symbol of a Sunday family lunch…and represents a feeling of identity and continuity that we need to protect, maintain and pass on.”

The USP of this recipe is that it provides us with the creative freedom to use any variety of seafood. While in this blog we’ve used shrimp, mussels and calamari/squid; yet other seafood/s worth exploring for this recipe are clams, white fish, crab, lobster tails et al. For Seafood Paella the sky umm the ‘sea’ is the limit!

A LOOK AT THE NUTRITION QUOTIENT

  • Calcium: 197mg
  • Calories: 431kcal
  • Carbohydrates: 59g
  • Cholesterol: 319mg
  • Fat: 4g
  • Fibre: 2g
  • Iron: 5mg
  • Potassium: 676mg
  • Protein: 37g
  • Saturated Fat: 1g
  • Sodium: 1707mg
  • Sugar: 3g
  • Vitamin A: 323IU
  • Vitamin C: 17mg

JjHrMFT

PLUSES OF SEAFOOD PAELLA

Before embarking on the Paella preparation odyssey let’s cast a quick look at why nutritionists recommend including healthy Paella in our diet –

  • This low-fat dish has a high satiating power
  • It provides a huge amount of energy due to the slow absorption of carbohydrates that rice contains
  • Being an olive oil preparation it packs-in properties which are extremely beneficial for our health
  • This is a fibre-rich recipe leading to maintenance of the colon micro-flora
  • The variety of ingredients in the Paella makes it a dish of complete nutritional value
  • It’s heart-healthy thanks to the fish, vegetables and moderate amount of salt that it contains
  • As it’s cooked with natural products, it suits people with gluten and lactose intolerance

RECIPE – SPANISH SEAFOOD PAELLA

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Servings: 6

Ingredients

  • Calamari – 250 g
  • Chicken / fish stock – 4 cups
  • Chopped parsley (for serving)
  • Garlic cloves (crushed) – 4
  • Half-shell mussels – 250 g
  • Lemon wedges (for serving)
  • Onion (finely chopped) – 1
  • Pepper – 1 teaspoon
  • Prawns / shrimp (peeled and deveined) – 500 g
  • Salt – 2 teaspoons
  • Short-grain rice (Arborio, Spanish Bomba)- 2 cups
  • Smoked paprika – 1 teaspoon
  • Tomatoes (chopped) – 400 g

Method

Now that we’ve got the ingredients in place, it’s time to get started with the actual process!

  1. Peel and devein the prawns/shrimp then pat the shrimp and calamari dry with paper towels
  2. Place a large, deep pan admeasuring approximately 11-12inches over medium high heat
  3. Drizzle the calamari and shrimp with olive oil and season with salt then sear in the hot pan until a wee bit of colour develops but do ensure that the seafood isn’t fully cooked
  4. Remove the seafood from the pan and set it aside
  5. In the same pan, heat the olive oil and then add the onion and garlic and cook until translucent and fragrant
  6. Add the tomatoes and cook for a few minutes until a major portion of the liquid has evaporated
  7. Pour in the rice and smoked paprika and stir to combine; then season with salt and pepper
  8. Pour in the stock then reduce the heat, partially cover and allow to simmer for 7-10 minutes or until most of the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is almost cooked
  9. Add the squid, calamari and shrimp, tucking it into the rice; ensure that you do not disturb the bottom layer of rice
  10. Cover again then cook for another 5-7 minutes until the seafood and rice are fully cooked
  11. Season to taste and serve with lemon wedges and chopped parsley

POINTS TO REMEMBER

If you are using –

  • Frozen prawns/shrimp please thaw before cooking then peel and devein
  • Half-shell mussels then tap them gently on the kitchen counter – if they close, they are fresh; if they don’t, go ahead and discard them. Similarly, if the mussels don’t open once cooked, discard them heartlessly!

You can use –

  • Squid tentacles or calamari rings also instead of calamari tubes
  • Other veggies like red pepper and peas along with chopped tomatoes
  • Seafood broth instead of chicken/fish stock

RECOMMENDED ACCOMPANIMENTS FOR SPANISH PAELLA

The best part of this dish is that it tastes absolutely perfect on its own; but yes yummy suggestions for side dishes for the Paella are a side salad or some crusty bread.

‘LEFTOVER’ VALUE!

As the seafood can become tough if cooked too far in advance this dish is best enjoyed right after cooking. But yes, any leftovers can be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two days; and then reheated in the microwave or in a large skillet or panned over medium heat with a splash of stock/broth until hot throughout and relished.

So this weekend invite your friends over for a satiating Sunday meal of Spanish Seafood Paella…and in case you make some improvisations on our recipe then do share them with us!