Seafood Paella (paella de marisco)

I cannot describe how much I enjoyed this dish.
It was actually the first time I made it. I had it in restaurants before but never attempted to make it at home.
I made this dish for my beloved's birthday party and I wanted it to be special, so I did my best in trying to find the freshest fish I could get.
I usually look at the fish on display and I quickly try to establish whether it was last nights catch or not. With prawns and langoustines it can be difficult though and if unsure I usually ask my fishmonger hoping that he will tell me the truth! Yes, I am obsessive about it but old fish can wreck a dish and make it taste completely different.
I have been quite lucky this time and the fish was excellent.
I made sure I added lots of saffron to give it that typical paella colour which makes this dish so tasty and unique.
Ideally it should be cooked in a large pan (called paella) and served at the table direct from the pan too but I did not have one large enough to "accommodate" the langoustines and the king prawns in order to make a good picture so I had to serve it on a tray instead.
That was not big enough though anyway! I think I could do with some more pots and pans!
I have only added peas to the rice but there are lots of different versions. You can add peppers as well to give it a more colourful look and you can use the shellfish you prefer.
- Prep Time : 1 hour 30 minutes
- Cook Time : 45 minutes
Ingredients
- rice for paella or arborio rice - 400 g
- squid - 400 g
- onion - 1
- mussels - 3 handfuls
- clams - 2 handfuls
- peas - 4 tbsp
- langoustines - 4
- king prawns - 4
- paprika - 1 tsp
- chilly - 1
- garlic - 3 cloves
- shrimps - a handful
- saffron - a few stems
- olive oil - 7 tbsp
- white wine - a dash
- fish stock - 1,2 Liters
- salt
Instructions
Basically you will need 3 glasses of liquid for every glass of rice.Pour this stock into the paella pan.Add the rice, the peas and salt to taste. Stir it well in, then you should leave it to cook without stirring it.
Cook for 7 minutes on a high heat then turn the heat down. Add the shrimps and slow cook it for a further 10 minutes.
Just a few minutes before it is cooked add the shellfish and arrange the langoustines and the king prawns nicely on top of the rice and serve.These beasties were too big to fit nicely on the tray: they look like they are fighting to get some space! Well, not such a good looking dish but sooo tasty! And this is a promise.
I am submitting this recipe to "Made with Love Mondays" featured by Javelin Warrior.
Congratulations for your WONDERFUL paella, I can´t believe it´s the first time for you! Always remember to select a kind of fish with ¨hard¨ meat, if not it will be broken in small parts after cooking. My brother in law adds parsley, chopped eggs and green beans on top. I add red bell pepper, everyone has a personal style for paella. Un beso,
Great tips thank you!
I love paella…I made it once long back, but that came out a bit different..a little dry consistency..The flavour of saffron is amazing.
Che splendida paella! Mi ricorda il mio viaggio in Spagna, è li che l'ho assaggiata! Ti è venuta perfetta, brava!Ciao
Mmmm… this sounds wonderful, Alida. Very homey and rustic and exactly the way I thick of paella. And I've been really wanting to make paella for a while now – this gives me a little nudge in the right direction! Thanks so much for sharing…
Hi Alida, Thank you for your comment on my guest post. Done a good job Alida.seafood paella looks nice.Keep on 🙂
So yummy looking. good for you, you made this fabulous dish. I have yet to make it, but I am enjoying your photos. thank you for stopping by.
Alida, this looks absolutely delicious and beautiful! Love the langoustines 🙂
Oh my goodness, Alida. Your Paella looks delicious. I agree with Javelin. It's exactly how I think of Paella goodness. Thank you so much for sharing and for dropping by my blog. As you know, we are playing the Picnic Game over at my blog. You are more than welcome to join in on the fun. I have already found you on Pinterest, (Thanks to Javelin) However, when I click on your follow twitter button, it leads to nothing. I noticed it say it needs your user name so you might want to check that. If i've done something wrong, you can find me @lavesta on twitter. "See" you soon, I hope you'll join in too!!!
I am a shellfish aholic… this is my kind of food and Its calling my name! Fabulous!
Paella looks extra ordinary.. rocking dear…
Divine dish,…I almost can feel the smell!
I have never had all types of seafood but your dish looks attractive enough to try.
delicious paella!…..you must've had one very pleased sweetheart!
Beautiful paella Alida! I want to dig into it straightaway. Your other half is surely very lucky! Have a nice day!xoxoAnuja
I'm not a fan of sea food but your dish looks very tempting, if you were right here, with that plate in hand, I bet I couldn't say no :)Thanks for dropping such nice comments on my blog, you are truly sweet :)Hugs
Che meraviglia! E' davvero uno spettacolo! :-)Un bacione e buon fine settimana
This looks impressive. I don't eat fish but I've been thinking about making a veggie paella lately so good to see your technique..
Hey alida,I'm looking at your paella and drooling into my keyboard!!Yum!
What a droolworthy seafood paella!
Che gustosa paella hai preparato, bravissima. L'ultima foto è splendida, da leccarsi la forchetta.Buon fine settimana
This is the ideal way to celebrate his birthday!Mouthwatering dish!Auguroni,carina!
Dear Alida, This looks delicious!! I've been craving fish lately…a perfect summer meal! Blessings to you my dear, your friend, Catherine xo
You paella looks absolutely wonderful! Thanks for sharing this delicious recipe! hope you are having a great weekend!
non è facile farla a casa io la mangio solo al ristorante è fantastica
Gorgeous looking paella!! sunshine on a plate, love all the seafood in it, yummy 😉
Riquisima y bien jugosa que te ha quedado.Claro, con todos esos buenos ingredientes.
It's food like this that makes me so sad I can't eat shellfish 🙁 I bet it's lovely!
This is one of my all time favourite dish, in all forms! I once took it out of the menu for my cookery classes and there was an uproar! You've done a fantastic job, it looks positively to die for!
Fantastic effort. Looks divine. I'm sure you went back for seconds!
Dear Alida, What a beautiful dish. Blessings dear. Catherine xo
è uno dei migliori ricordi della spagna, la tua è fantastica
Hello Alida. I know that you already have one but I've nominate you for a Versatile Blogger award. Love your blog!