Our famous Paella!
Since age two, I have been going to the south of Spain with my family.. And always loved a good juicy and sticky Paella.. So one day my hubby and I decided to do our own.. Without exaggerating it has been the best Paella I have ever had.. Not oily, not dry, a lot of seafood yet not overwhelmingly fishy- the perfect Paella- full stop.. So if you have some time to spare (about 90 minutes to be honest) it's well worth it! ☺
Serves 6-8 persons
For the fish broth:
One Fish skeleton & head
2 cinnamon sticks
6 bay leaves
1 celery stick
½ a lemon’s peel
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp saffron
For the paella:
2 large chopped onions
4 crushed garlic cloves
½ small red chili
1 can of peeled tomatoes (chopped)
1/4 green pepper chopped
1/2 red pepper chopped
1 lemon chopped (fleshy bits)
Juice of 1 lemon
2 ½ cups Arborio rice
1 tsp paprika
2 cups medium sized prawns (cleaned)
1 cup very small prawns (cleaned & de-shelled)
1 cup mussels with shells (cleaned)
1 cup mussel flesh
2 cups calamari (cut into rings)
10 large prawns (de-veined)
1 full TBL chopped parsley
Fill a pot with boiling water and all the ingredients mentioned above for the fish stock.. Bring it to a rapid boil and let it simmer over medium heat for 30 minutes.. Then remove all the ingredients, and pour the stock through a sifter.. Simmer it for another 20 minutes until it reduces, and keep it on low heat so it remains hot..
In a large pan (make sure it’s big enough for all remaining ingredients), brown the onions, garlic & chili, then add peppers, chopped tomatoes, wine, 1 cup of fish stock and simmer for a little while.. Then add the mussels with shells, lemon bits and juice.. Cook everything for a few minutes then add the rice& paprika and combine all ingredients well.. Now continue by adding a little broth as you go, just like with a risotto..
Continue stirring as you're adding the broth, and salt & pepper the paella to taste.. When the rice is almost cooked (10 minutes away or so), add the mussel flesh and the calamari.. Cook for about 5 minutes, add the large prawns, and a few minutes later add the medium prawns.. When the dish is almost ready, add the small prawns and combine one last time very well.. Sprinkle with parsley and voila! Beautiful Seafood Paella ☺
0 comments