My mind has been wandering to paella a lot lately so I’m relieved I finally got to make it. Packed with so many delicious flavours that I love, from the spicy chorizo, and smokey paprika to mixed seafood and lemon, it has to be the ultimate one-pan wonder of a dish.
There are also no strict rules here. You can adapt this to your own taste adding whatever you have lying around. This rusticSpanish dish was designed to feed people en masse but it also somehow has an air of sophistication to it. I find it an utterly impressive dinner party dish.
Disclaimer: This recipe is my adaptation of Spanish paella and apologies to any Spanish people if my recipe is not authentic.
The one thing you do need to have, and something I did not up until now, is a nice large pan with even heating. Even heating at different temperatures is even more impressive, and I used my new Breville non-stick electric frying pan.This pan is designed to saute, fry and steam, but as far as I’m concerned, it’s simply a perfect paella pan.
An array of gorgeous Breville appliances have moved into my house and we are becoming firm friends. So far It’s been a bit like driving a Maserati after years in a vintage VW, but I’m embracing this exquisite technology with much joy and gratitude. I will be working with the South African marketing team of this wonderful Australian brand for the next year.
A few notes on my ingredients.…….
I adore prawns but they are not sustainable and are super expensive, so I opted for an all SASSI green list array of fruits de mer. The mussels were caught locally and were alive and fresh when I got them from Oceanjewels earlier, and I used farmed Cob and local calamari.
Free-range chicken thigh fillets made up the meat portion along with delicious Spanish chorizo that was the perfect level of spice for me.
I just love how everything gets cooked together for optimal flavour transference. I like to saute the chorizo first to release its oils then set it aside and brown the chicken. I added very little extra olive oil and used a combination of fish and chicken stock. Try and use the best possible stock you can find, it makes a big difference with paella.
A few other recipes you mike like:
Chicken and rice pilaf with orange and spices
One-pot jerk chicken with spicy rice
Paella
A delicious paella with chorizo, chicken and mixed seafood recipe.
Print Recipe
Prep Time:20 minutesmins
Cook Time:35 minutesmins
Ingredients
2-3Tolive oil
2pinch’s saffron soaked in two tablespoons of hot water
350– 400g white fish fillets cut into large chunks
1onion finely chopped
1red peppercored and finely diced
4clovesgarliccrushed
½glass of dry white wine
1x 400g tin chopped peeled tomatoes
1 ½t-smoked paprika
½dried chilli flakesoptional
500gmussels in shell
200gcalamaricut into rings
500gArborio rice
1– 1.2litres chicken / fish stock
Handful parsleyfinely chopped
Salt and pepper
Lemon wedges to serve
Instructions
Heat the stock in a separate pot and keep this warm on the stove
Turn the Breville electric frying pan on 8 (medium high heat) and fry the chorizo sausage until the oils start to release, about 4 minutes. Remove and set aside.
Cut the filleted chicken thighs into large chunks (roughly quarters) and fry in the chorizo oil until they just start browning on the outside. Do not cook through. Remove and set aside.
Add a tablespoon of olive oil if necessary and fry the fish fillet pieces very quickly to seal. Remove and set aside.
Add another 1 - 2 tablespoons of olive oil and fry the onion and red pepper until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the crushed garlic, tomatoes, saffron in water and wine, allowing this to reduce and thicken slightly.
Add the Arborio rice and stir to coat. Cover with about 800ml of the stock, spread it out evenly and then let this simmer gently with the lid on at temperature mark 4 – 6 (alternating) for 10 - 12 minutes. Try not to stir too much. If it looks like its drying out, add a little more stock.
Remove the lid, ensure there is still some liquid, and add the calamari, fish, chicken and mussels to the paella, placing this evenly around. Push the mussels into the sauce. Close the lid and simmer gently for 5 – 7 minutes on between 4 and 6.
Turn the electric frying pan off. Scatter over freshly chopped parsley and lemon wedges. Keep the lid on to stay warm.
More adventurous home cooks could choose to cook over a fire pit or a charcoal grill, but it requires more skill to control the heat. If your only option is an electric stove, you'll want to use a smaller six-inch paella pan and finish it in the oven, which will ensure the dish cooks evenly and at the right speed.
Want to dabble in paella without committing to a special pan? No problem! Any wide, shallow skillet will be up to the job. If you're making your paella in the oven, just make sure that the entire pan, even the handle, is heat-safe.
An electric frying pan, also known as an electric skillet, is a versatile countertop appliance capable of more than just frying. You can use an electric frying pan to bake foods such as cakes, biscuits, cornbread and potatoes--all without turning on your oven.
Most carbon steel paella pans must be seasoned, and cast iron is not ideal because it retains too much heat. Nonstick pans won't get enough dryness to create the socarrat, the signature crispy rice crust that develops on the bottom of a paella.
More adventurous home cooks could choose to cook over a fire pit or a charcoal grill, but it requires more skill to control the heat. If your only option is an electric stove, you'll want to use a smaller six-inch paella pan and finish it in the oven, which will ensure the dish cooks evenly and at the right speed.
Whether it's gas or electric, a stove is a stove; the only difference to keep in mind is that electric heating elements take much longer to heat up and much longer to cool down than gas or induction burners. Unsurprisingly, electric stoves therefore demand more care and attention when it comes to heat control.
It is pretty much interchangeable method of cooking… unless you are going for 100% authentic. Risotto uses a short grain rice and Paella uses a short grain rice, but they are not the same type of short grain rice. So they may not work optimally in the other dish.
Paella is a Valencian word that means frying pan, from which the dish gets its name. Valencian speakers use the word paella for all pans, including the traditional shallow pan used for cooking the hom*onym dish.
Bomba is the best rice for paella. It's not only authentic to the dish, but the results are almost always perfect. Calasparra rice is an excellent substitute if you can't get your hands on bomba rice. Arborio Rice can work if you can't get bomba or Calasparra.
Not only are they great for pan frying and sauteing, that consistent heat is ideal for deep frying doughnuts, chicken, potatoes and fish in the skillet. If you're new to deep frying, check out our best tips for deep frying at home. Electric skillets are also perfect for all your breakfast favorites.
Overall, using aluminum foil on an electric griddle is safe and can be a useful tool for cooking. However, it is important to use it properly and securely to avoid any potential hazards.
The difference is mainly in the handles. The Chef Pan has short handles, so the lid fits better on the barbecue in some cases. The handles of the paella pan are larger. The pan height of the Chef Pan is lower than that of the Paella pan.
Add enough water to cover the rice by about 1.5 cm. Put the pot on the electric stove and do not cover it. Turn on the heat to the highest setting and stir the rice occasionally to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Cook until the rice is 85% done, then turn off the electric stove.
It's also not recommended to use rough materials like unfinished cast iron or stoneware on glass-topped electric stoves, since they can easily scratch the surface.
If you have a 12-inch paella pan, you can definitely use it on a large gas burner. Because paella pans do not always have perfectly flat bottoms, using them on an electric burner could be problematic since the heat will not be distributed evenly, especially if the pan is much larger than the burner ring.
Stainless Steel is highly recommended. A sandwich-clad bottom is especially good because it combines the durability and stability of stainless steel with the heat conduction and distribution of aluminum or copper.
Introduction: My name is Van Hayes, I am a thankful, friendly, smiling, calm, powerful, fine, enthusiastic person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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