🇪🇸 Spanish Seafood Paella

Paella is a rice dish from Valencia. Bomba rice absorbs a saffron seafood stock, and the bottom layer of rice caramelises into a crispy crust called socarrat. The key is to not stir the rice after adding the stock.

Ingredients

• 400 g Bomba Rice
• 1 L Seafood Stock
• 1/2 tsp Saffron
• 300 g Prawns
• 300 g Mussels and Clams
• 200 g Squid
• 1 Tomato, grated
• 1 Red Pepper
• 1 Onion
• 4 cloves Garlic
• 1 tsp Smoked Paprika
• 1/2 cup Peas
• 4 tbsp Olive Oil

Method

1. Steep saffron in warm stock 15 min.
2. Sear prawns. Set aside.
3. Char pepper. Set aside.
4. Cook onion, garlic, and squid 5 min. Add tomato and paprika.
5. Add rice and stir 2 min.
6. Pour in stock. Stir once. Do not stir again.
7. Cook 10 min high, 8 min low.
8. Add seafood and peas. Cook 5 min.
9. Increase heat 2 min for socarrat. Rest 5 min.

History

Paella originated in the Albufera lagoon near Valencia, where rice has been cultivated since the Moorish period. The dish was originally a farmworker’s meal, cooked over an open fire in a wide, shallow pan (the paella, from which the dish gets its name) and eaten straight from the pan with wooden spoons. The earliest versions were made with whatever was on hand — rabbit, snails, beans, and rice — and seafood paella developed later, as the dish spread to the coastal areas. In the 19th and 20th centuries, paella became a symbol of Valencian identity and eventually of Spain as a whole. The socarrat, the crispy layer of rice at the bottom of the pan, is the most prized part of the dish.

The science

The socarrat forms because of the Maillard reaction — the same browning reaction that gives bread its crust and steak its char. As the rice cooks and the liquid evaporates, the bottom layer of rice comes into direct contact with the hot pan and begins to caramelise. The trick is to cook the paella over high heat at the end, but not so high that the rice burns. The other technical point is that the rice must not be stirred after the stock is added — stirring releases starch from the rice, which is what makes risotto creamy, but in paella it would make the rice gluey. The saffron, which is steeped in warm stock before it goes into the pan, provides both colour and a subtle, slightly bitter flavour that is essential to the dish.

Substitutions

Bomba rice is the traditional choice because it absorbs a lot of liquid without becoming mushy, but Calasparra and Arborio are both close substitutes. The seafood can be whatever is freshest — mussels, clams, prawns, squid, or even chunks of firm fish. For a meat version (paella de carne), use chicken and rabbit in place of the seafood. For a vegetarian version, use mushrooms, artichokes, and beans, and use a strong vegetable stock. Saffron is expensive but essential to the character of the dish; a pinch of turmeric can approximate the colour but not the flavour. The paella pan itself is ideal but not essential — a wide, shallow skillet works fine.

Chef's tip

Never stir after adding stock — that is what makes paella different from risotto.

Drink pairing

Albariño or dry rosé. The bright acidity of an Albariño cuts through the richness of the seafood and rice, and the wine’s citrus and stone-fruit notes complement the saffron and paprika in the dish.