Spanish Paella

prep time:: 30 min
total time:: 1 hr

Makes 6 servings

The recipe for this delicious meal was given to us (in Spanish) by our exchange student, Maria, from Madrid. The seafood is all cooked in its shell, which makes the presentation of this dish beautiful!

ingredients

Ingredients

2 Tbsp minced garlic
2 Tbsp chopped parsley
2 Tbsp chopped saffron
2 Tbsp vegetable bullion
approx. 6-8 mussels
approx. 6-8 small clams
1/4 lb. tuna, cubed
1/2 lb. shrimp, deveined
3 cups rice
6 cups water
yellow food coloring
olive oil
1 lemon
1/4 cup tomato sauce
salt, to taste

Equipment

Paella pan (round, shallow, flat pan)

directions

1
Heat paella pan over medium heat, ensuring the entire surface is heated evenly. Add enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan.
2
Add minced garlic, parsley, and saffron to oil. Sauté for 1-2 minutes, then add the cubed tuna, clams, and muscles. Sauté over medium heat (stirring constantly) until shells just begin to open.
3
Add rice. Cut lemon and squeeze juice over the rice. Add tomato sauce and mix.
4
Add 2-3 drops of yellow food coloring to water, then pour into paella pan. Add vegetable bullion and salt. Stir and “shake” the pan to mix.
5
Bring to a boil over high heat, then gradually reduce the heat so the paella simmers for about 15 minutes.
6
Add shrimp and simmer an additional 10-15 minutes until 90% of the water is absorbed.
7
Remove from heat and cover. Let the paella sit covered for about 5 minutes.
8
Remove cover and serve!

notes

The *perfect* paella should be crunchy and a bit brown on the bottom. (The paella shown here is not quite finished, because you can still see some water in the pan.)

Source: Maria Villar