Spain · Main · Medium
Paella
Rome's most famous pasta. Silky egg and Pecorino sauce clinging to every strand, studded with crisp guanciale. No cream, ever.
The whole recipe in 60 seconds
Paella, in 5 ideas
- Socarrat is the whole point. In the last 2 minutes, raise the heat slightly and listen for a faint crackling. That is the bottom crust forming. Smell for toasting, not burning.
- Bomba rice is worth finding. It absorbs three times its weight in stock without going mushy. Arborio is the closest substitute, but reduce the stock by a cup.
- The pan matters more than you think. A wide, shallow paella pan gives the rice maximum contact with the heat. A deep pot steams the rice instead of crisping it.
- Warm stock, always. Cold stock shocks the rice and stalls the cooking. Keep it at a bare simmer on a back burner.
- Rosemary is traditional, not decorative. A fresh sprig laid across the top perfumes the whole pan as it steams. Dried will not do the same job.
What you need
Ingredients
- 1/2 tsp saffron threads
- 1 quart warm chicken stock
- 2 lbs bone-in chicken thighs, cut into pieces
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 large tomato, grated
- 2 cups bomba or Calasparra short-grain rice
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- 12 large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 12 mussels, scrubbed and debearded
- 1 cup frozen peas
- Lemon wedges, to serve
- Salt
How to make it
Directions
- Crumble the saffron into the warm stock and let it steep while you work. This blooms the color and flavor.
- Season the chicken with salt and the smoked paprika. Heat half the olive oil in a wide paella pan over medium-high heat and brown the chicken on all sides, about 8 minutes. Remove to a plate.
- Add the remaining oil to the pan. Soften the onion until golden, about 6 minutes, then stir in the garlic and grated tomato. Cook until the mixture darkens and thickens, about 5 minutes.
- Add the rice and stir to coat every grain in the sofrito, about 2 minutes. Pour in the saffron stock and lay the rosemary on top. Shake the pan once to level the rice, then do not stir again.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce to a steady simmer. After 10 minutes, nestle the chicken back into the rice.
- After 10 more minutes, arrange the shrimp, mussels, and peas over the top. Cook 8 to 10 minutes more, until the rice is tender and the mussels have opened. Discard any mussels that stay shut.
- Rest the paella off the heat for 5 minutes, covered with a clean towel. Serve straight from the pan with lemon wedges.
Do not stir after the stock goes in. Stirring releases starch and turns paella into risotto. The stillness is what lets the bottom caramelize into socarrat.