Seafood Paella

Ingredients

  • 6 chicken thigh fillets cut into cubes
  • 1-2 chorizo sausage diced
  • 1 brown onion diced
  • 1 large leek diced
  • 2 red capsicum diced
  • 1 carrot grated
  • 4 cloves of garlic crushed
  • juice from 1/2 lime
  • 100g frozen peas
  • Saffron strands
    • (or powered imitation saffron)
  • 500g (approx.) whole raw prawns
  • 500g (approx.) calamari rings
  • 500g (approx.) mussels in shells
    • (soak in sink salt water, pull off beards, scrub shells - eg with steel wool)
  • 400g arborio rice
  • 600ml fish stock
    • (I use powered 'bonito' fish stock from a Japanese food store)
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/4 cup chopped parsely
  • 1/2 cup chopped spring onion
  • olive oil
  • pepper

Method

  1. After chopping the chicken, pour over lime juice and set aside.
  2. In a large flat bottom fry pan, on a low heat fry the diced choizo in oil.
    1. You want the cubes to start sizzling and starting to brown - 5-10 mins.
  3. Add chicken to the pan and turn up the heat.
    1. Again, you want the chicken to start to brown.
  4. Turn off heat and remove the chorizo and chicken.
  5. Fry leek, onion and garlic in pan cook on medium-low heat for approx. 10 mins.
  6. Add diced capsicum and stir in.
  7. Turn heat up to medium and add back the chorizo and chicken.
  8. Add the rice to the pan. Turn heat up a bit.
    1. Stir until the rice starts to crackle a bit and go opaque.
  9. Add the saffron and calamari and stir in.
  10. Add the fish stock and bay leaf. Stir in the grated carrot.
  11. Flatten the mixture out. Turn heat down to medium-low.
    1. Arrange the prawns around the outside of the pan.
    2. Arrange the mussels in the middle 'mouths' up. Try not to put them inside a calamari ring as this might stop you being able to tell it they're ok later.
    3. I prefer to cover the pan with a lid at this stage. Cook for 10 mins.
  12. Flip each prawn around the outside of the pan - one side should have gone pink/red.
    1. You may want to shift/prod the rice a bit in the bottom of the pan in case its sticking.
    2. Cover and cook for another 10 minutes.
  13. Add in peas and stir in.
    1. Cover and cook for another 5 minutes.
  14. Taste the rice to see if its cooked. If its ready stir in the parsley and spring onion. Season with pepper. Cover and let it settle for a few minutes until you're ready to eat.

Notes

  • I often forget this part, but for company you may consider taking the prawns out once it's all cooked and shelling and peeling them before serving. Its a dish that needs your hands and I love eating the rice out of the mussel shells, but peeling rice covered prawns is a bit messy. Consider finger bowls otherwise?

Serves

  • 4-6

Timing

  • 30 mins. preparation
  • 45-60 mins. cooking