Seafood Paella

This Spanish rice dish builds saffron-scented sofrito, short-grain rice, and a mix of shrimp, mussels, and squid into one wide, shallow pan, finishing with a prized crust of caramelized rice called socarrat. It's a showstopper meant to be brought straight to the table and shared.

By YumYum Editorial · Mediterranean

Prep: 20 min · Cook: 40 min · Total: 60 min · Serves 6

Ingredients

• 2 cups Bomba or Arborio rice
• 1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined (shells reserved)
• 1 lb mussels, scrubbed and debearded
• 1/2 lb squid, cleaned and sliced into rings
• 4 cups seafood or chicken stock
• 1/4 tsp saffron threads
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

1. Warm the stock in a saucepan and steep the saffron threads in it to infuse color and flavor.
2. Heat olive oil in a paella pan or wide, shallow skillet over medium heat and sauté onion and bell pepper until softened, about 6 minutes.
3. Add garlic and smoked paprika, cooking 1 minute until fragrant, then stir in the drained tomatoes and cook 5 minutes until jammy.
4. Add the rice and stir to coat every grain in the sofrito, toasting for 1-2 minutes.
5. Pour in the saffron-infused stock, spread the rice evenly, and do not stir again from this point on.
6. Simmer uncovered 10 minutes, then nestle the mussels, shrimp, and squid into the rice.
7. Continue cooking 8-10 minutes until the rice is tender, the mussels have opened, and the seafood is cooked through.
8. Scatter peas over the top in the last 3 minutes, then remove from heat and let rest 5 minutes.
9. Garnish with parsley and lemon wedges; discard any mussels that didn't open before serving.