A good Spanish paella recipe has some elaboration and preparation, but today we will try to teach you how to make a delicious preparation in the easiest way possible.
In another of our articles we address which is the best rice to prepare paella, the types of paella and a Valencian paella recipe, we invite you to read it so that you start with the main ingredient of a paella.
Table of Contents
Origin of paella
The first thing we must know is that the paella is the container where the paella rice is prepared and that gives the name to the recipe.
This container, which is also known as a paella pan (although the word was not initially accepted), is round in shape, wide and shallow, and additionally has two handles to allow the container to be picked up and which helps to mix the ingredients.
The spanish paella recipe was initially born in the community of Valencia, mainly in rural areas, due to the need of the peasants to bring to their daily tasks an easy preparation and with the ingredients that they had at their disposal in the field.
These peasants used snails that they found in the field, but also rabbit, duck, meat, chicken, beans, tomatoes, peppers, onions and zucchini; and to give more flavor and aroma to the dish, saffron was added.
This dish is so rich and varied that it has become an emblematic preparation of Spanish gastronomy that is known throughout the world.
So now you can find Spanish paella near me or you, anywhere in the world, but if you visit Spain, don’t resist trying this dish in all its varieties.
What are the main ingredients of paella?
Paella is one of those preparations that admits any ingredient, although they are variations that have occurred over time and it is not the original recipe.
Today we find different types of paella such as the traditional Valencian paella, but also seafood paella, mixed paella, mountain paella and many other varieties.
The main base of paella is rice, some vegetables, meat and the right spices to give it a unique flavor and aroma.
With regard to spices, the most used are saffron, which is the king when it comes to paella seasonings, it helps to enhance the flavor, aroma and characteristic color of paella. Thyme, garlic, rosemary and paprika are also often added.
As far as meat is concerned, you can use chicken, rabbit, duck, pork, chorizo, longaniza and others; shellfish such as prawns, squid, snails, mussels, clams, shrimp, prawns and all the variety of shellfish you want.
With regard to vegetables, pepper and onion are traditionally used; peas such as green beans and garrofó (very traditional bean variety in Valencian paella), peas, carrots and more.
A rich Spanish paella recipe: seafood paella
This paella recipe for 4 people is delicious and everyone will love it! You will be able to answer the question: how much paella rice for 4 because this recipe is for four people
Ingredients
- 400 grams of round rice
- 800 ml of fish broth
- 12 prawns
- 1 large or two medium cuttlefish
- 250 g of clams
- 6 scampi
- 250 g of mussels
- 1 medium onion
- 1 red bell pepper
- 2 ripe tomatoes
- 1 garlic
- saffron, garlic and parsley
- olive oil
Preparation
- Wash and clean all shellfish very well before using them.
- Finely chop the garlic and onion. Cut the pepper into strips
- In the paella we put a splash of oil and when it is hot we add the clams, lobsters and prawns, stir constantly until they are golden, when this happens, we remove them and reserve.
- Next, add another splash of oil and cook the chopped cuttlefish until golden brown. Also when this happens, we remove it and reserve it.
- Next, fry the garlic, onion and pepper until soft. Remove and reserve only the pepper.
- Add the grated tomatoes mixing well until cooked.
- Add the rice and stir until you take all the flavors that are in the container. After a few minutes, add the fish broth, salt and saffron (to taste).
- Add all the ingredients that had already been removed but do it in such a way that the dish is nice and you do not mix anymore. Also put the mussels.
- Increase the heat until the rice begins to boil and then put on low heat for approximately 20 minutes.
- Remove the paella from the heat and let it rest for approximately five minutes before serving.
- You can decorate with finely chopped parsley.
Enjoy this delicious Spanish paella recipe with your family and guests, you will surely surprise them!
If you want to prepare this paella recipe for 8 double the ingredients or if you want to know how much paella rice for 2 you already know that based on this recipe you will need 200 grams of round rice.
As we said at the beginning, this preparation has its process and it is possibly not that easy to prepare, but we try to bring you a simple recipe for Spanish paella that you can prepare at home.