SEAFOOD PAELLA VALENCIANA

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How do you make Seafood Paella Valenciana? This recipe will help you cook your classic, traditional Paella Valenciana that our granny’s will cook back in the olden days. An easy to follow recipe that will guide you step by step of the way. It is a simple recipe that you can easily cook and easily convert to a special recipe too. The secret lies in the ingredients! This is truly an authentic and classic recipe of Paella Valenciana that is approved by any Filipino taste bud.

Serves 6-8

INGREDIENTS:

½ tsp of saffron, crushed (alternatively 1 tsp turmeric powder)
½ cup of white wine
1/2 kilo shrimp, trim and cleaned
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup of olive oil
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
3 cloves of garlic, minced or through a press
3 dried bay leaves
1 cup of diced tomatoes
1 small onion, minced
7 cups of chicken broth
2 ½ cups of short grain rice, Valencia, bomba or Arborio
8 oz of fresh or frozen peas
3 jarred roasted green peppers or bell peppers, sliced into ½″ strips
15 clams or mussels, cleaned
1/2 cup of white wine
Lemon wedges
Boiled eggs, garnish

INSTRUCTIONS:

In a small bowl, add the saffron and ½ cup of white wine and let it soak for roughly 15 minutes. Set aside.
In a large paella wok, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper then add to the pan and cook, turning occasionally, until pink and seared, about 2-3 minutes. (Do not overcook shrimp, it shrinks and becomes rubbery if overcooked.)
Drain from oil and transfer shrimp to another plate.
In the same wok, sauté garlic, onions, tomatoes, paprika, and bay leaves. Let it cook and stir often, until the onions are soft for about 5 minutes.
Then gradually add the rice, toss it around to roast evenly for some minute in the wok. Pour in the saffron-white wine mixture and let it boil. Add the chicken broth and mix well to combine all ingredients. Season with salt and return to a boil over high heat.
Continue cooking without stirring and let the rice absorb all of the liquid for about 10-12 minutes more. Just rotate the pan every once in a while longer. Its advisable to cook it in a wide range of heat as seen in photo so the rice can cook evenly.
Meanwhile, start steaming the clams or mussels with the ½ cup of white wine in a pot with cover and use medium-high heat. Once the shells starts to open, turn off heat and set them aside. Just discard any shells that don’t open.
When the rice has almost absorbed all the liquid but still moist, adjust heat to very low and arrange shrimp, peas and roasted red peppers on top. Continue to cook over low heat without stirring until the rice has absorbed the remaining liquid. About 5-10 minutes more until the rice is fully cooked.
Remove the wok from the heat and arrange the cooked mussels or clams on top. Place an aluminum cover on the wok and let stand for 5 minutes. Serve and garnish with lemon wedges on the side.
Enjoy! Happy cooking and Happy Holidays!

Cooking Tips:

You may add slices of squids, shredded chicken or slice dry cured Spanish chorizo too. You can cook it at the same time with the shrimp.

Except that the shrimp and squid cooks faster, the chicken and sausage are however left in the wok to cook with the rice and stock throughout the cooking process.