Seafood Paella
Dinner party special! Lots of work but result is worth the effort!
Ingredients
- heavy ½ tsp saffron
- 4 TBS water warm
- Heavy ½ tsp Pimenton Paprika – Dulce
- Heavy ½ tsp Pimenton Paprika – Picante
- ~6 oz Spanish Chorizo
- 1 large onion finely diced
- 3 bay leaves whole
- 2 red bell peppers
- ~15 cloves garlic minced
- ½ cup white wine
- 4 Roma tomatoes diced
- 6 oz jar Piquillo peppers diced
- 1½ cup Bomba or Calasparra Paella Rice
- 2 + 1 cup 32 oz carton seafood stock
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 6 lobster tails split, out of shell
- ~1 lb shrimp peeled, de-veined, no tails
- 1 cup peas whole, frozen
- 5 lemon wedges garnish
- 1/3 cup parsley chopped – garnish
Instructions
- In a small bowl crush the dry saffron threads with the back of a spoon. Add warm water, then add Pimenton (paprikas). Whisk together and let infuse for 1 hr.
- PAM pan and add chorizo to paella pan. Over medium heat, render the fat. Remove the chorizo.
- Add onion and bay leaves. Sauté until onions are soft and translucent – about 10 mins.
- Add bell peppers and sauté until soft. Add garlic and when the aroma releases, immediately add wine. Allow the alcohol to evaporate – about 3-4 mins.
- Add tomatoes and sauté until they soften. Turn heat down.
- Add piquillo peppers and the Saffron-Pimenton water and stir to mix.
- Remove Bay leaves.
- Add chorizo back to pan. Add rice to pan. Fold in rice to season and coat on all sides.
- Add salt to seafood stock and pour in enough to barely cover rice (~ 2 cups). Bring mixture to a boil for 1 min. Decrease heat to medium and simmer for 10 mins.
- After 10 mins add lobster/shrimp – nestle in but don’t disturb rice. Add stock if required.
- Simmer for ~ 10 mins more. Check and simmer a bit more if needed.
- Increase heat to high and cook for 1-2 mins to caramelize rice on bottom. Remove from heat. Sprinkle peas on top. Serve with lemon wedge and parsley garnish.