I know I am in the land of paella and who am I to change the dish to make “my” version of it? After trying many well known paellas in the city, I find that it’s a bit plain for me and I adjusted the recipe to suit my taste. This version does not have the crispy bottom known as socarrat, so be forewarned.
If you don’t have a paella pan you can use a large high sided skillet, cast iron would be ideal.
Paella with Shrimp, Mussels and Chicken
Serves 8 to 10
Ingredients
1/2 teaspoon saffron threads, crumbled
1 ½ pounds chicken thighs, with skin and bone
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 red pepper, finely chopped
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
1 28 oz. can plum tomatoes, chopped with their juices
2 cups (about) chicken broth, divided
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon Hungarian sweet paprika
½ to 1 tsp. red pepper flakes
4 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley, plus more for garnish
3 bottles of clam juice or 3 cups fish stock
1 cup dry white wine, divided
2 1/2 cups white rice
5 peppercorns
1 bay leaf
1 pound large shrimp, peeled, de-veined, and/or sea scallops can be used
16 mussels, scrubbed and beards removed
1 10 oz. package frozen peas, defrosted, optional
Procedure
Place 1 tablespoon water in a cup; mix in saffron and let it sit until the liquid turns golden.
Heat a large high sided skillet or 16 inch Paella pan over medium heat. Add the chicken thighs and season well with salt and pepper, sauté until golden brown about 10 to 15 minutes, remove to a plate and pour off all the fat. Add the olive oil to the pan and sauté the onion, red pepper and garlic. Sauté until onion is lightly browned, about 5 minutes, seasoning well with salt and pepper. Add the tomatoes and 1 cup of the chicken broth and simmer until almost all the tomato juices have evaporated, about 5 minutes.
Add the tomato paste, paprika, red pepper flakes, parsley, saffron, rice, 1/2 cup of the wine and clam juice and stir for a few minutes. Bring to a simmer and add the chicken and cover, cook about 10 minutes until the rice is almost completely cooked, stirring often. If the pan gets dry add a little of the leftover chicken broth. Taste for seasoning, and add more red pepper flakes or salt if needed.
Meanwhile heat a large saucepan and add the remaining half a cup of white wine, peppercorns and bay leaf to a simmer, add salt and pepper. Add the mussels and cover. Steam until they open, about 8 minutes. Remove them from the saucepan and discard the steaming liquid. Set the mussels aside and cover to keep warm.
Add the shrimp and peas to the paella and cover; simmer until shrimp is just cooked through, adding broth by 1/4 cupfuls if paella is dry, about 4 minutes. Uncover and arrange the mussels on top, serve with the extra chopped parsley as a garnish.
