how2heroes » Paella Valenciana

Seafood » Paella Valenciana

Seafood, cured meats and a bouquet of vegetables known as Sofrito combine to make this robust dish. Preparing the paella pan, perfect for cooking and serving, is key to creating this saffron-infused presentation. It's a warm, hearty and inviting meal meant to be shared.

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Serves 4

Ingredients

Sofrito* - Makes 2 Cups

1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 Spanish white onion, diced
2 tbsp fresh garlic, minced
3 tbsp olive oil
3 bay leaves
1 tbsp dried parsley
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried flakes
¼ tsp ground black pepper
pinch of ground cumin or to taste
pinch of hot smoked paprika or to taste
10 dried saffron threads
¼ cup white wine
¼ cup vegetable stock
1 tsp granulated sugar

Paella

1½ cups of Sofrito* (see above)
1 tbsp olive oil
1½ cups medium-grain Spanish white rice (do not use instant rice)
2 cups fish stock (seasoned with saffron if making fish stock from scratch)
1 cod fillet (approx. 4 oz)
1 cooked chicken thigh (cut in half)
2 mussels
2 clams
3 slices chorizo (Spanish style sausage)
3 slices butifarras or salt & pepper sausage
3 oz squid (calamari), sliced thin
3 oz scallops
3 oz small shrimp
3 large shrimp (21/25 or 16/20)
1 roasted piquillo pepper, sliced thin (or red pepper)
6 artichoke hearts, quartered (canned artichoke hearts will work)
¼ cup green peas (frozen will work)

How-to

Make the Sofrito

Heat a large sauté pan and bring olive oil to smoke point
Add the diced onion and minced garlic to hot oil and sauté for 5 minutes
Add the red and green bell peppers and continue to sauté for 5 minutes
Add the dried parsley, oregano, thyme, and bay leaves and continue to sauté until the onions are translucent and begin to caramelize
Add white wine to sauté pan, deglaze, and cook for additional 3 minutes to cook off alcohol
Add vegetable stock, saffron stigmas, and granulated sugar and lower heat to medium
Simmer sofrito until most of the liquid has reduced and cooked off
Season with cumin and hot smoked paprika
This sofrito is the base to the paella

Prepare the Paella

Take paella pan or pie pan and rub with olive oil on base and all sides
Mix rice with 1 cup of sofrito and set aside
Put remaining ½ cup of sofrito into the base of the paella pan. Top with rice mixture/sofrito and spread evenly in pan. Arrange the mussels, clams, chorizo, chicken thigh and butifarras around the outside of the paella pan, place the codfish fillet in the center of the paella pan
Put paella pan directly on high heat, cover and bring to a rolling boil for about 6-7 minutes. Keep covered and lower heat to medium-high for about 13 minutes. Add more fish stock as needed to keep rice covered with liquid
Remove top and add the remaining ingredients (scallops, little shrimp, squid, and large shrimp). Lower heat to medium, cover, and continue to cook for 7 minutes. The rice should be getting tender by this point and you should have added all stock
Add the artichokes and peas and piquillo pepper, cover and cook 2 minutes more
Remove cover, and raise the heat back to high and cook off remaining liquid.
It is important not to shake or move around the rice while cooking because you will disturb the “socarrot”. (socarrot is the thick, creamy, crispy rice on the base of the pan that forms while cooking) The last 2 minutes of cooking is when the socarrot finishes its final form

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Comments (11)

Posted Sunday, February 19, 2012, at 11:24 am by Bea Viera:

Made this dish today...sooo good!
Posted Monday, December 7, 2009, at 1:32 am by Joana Ribeiro (Portugal):

Hello, my name is Joana Ribeiro from Portugal, and I would just like to congratulate you on your video. I found recipe very well explained, and that the paella looks delicious. I will definitely try it.
Posted Monday, December 7, 2009, at 1:00 am by Patricia Cruz:

Hello! My name is Patrícia Cruz and i´m a student from ISAG in Oporto, Portugal. I never cooked Paella but it seems quite easy and delicious. Some day i will try it at home! Congratulations
Posted Sunday, December 6, 2009, at 11:18 pm by TiagoSales:

Hi there my name is TIago Sales, I'm a studant from ISAG from Portugal and I would like to thank you for the clip cause it's really good, easy learning and the presentation looks good. keep up the good work. Congrats
Posted Sunday, December 6, 2009, at 11:10 pm by Serafim Ramos:

Hello! I am Serafim from Oporto, Portugal. I've seen the video and I think it is well explained, congratulations.
Posted Sunday, December 6, 2009, at 10:38 pm by martacampos:

Hello i am marta Campos of ISAG, Portugal. And i saw your recipe of paella valencia, I've tried variations of this recipe but have never eaten with chicken. I found a recipe very easy to do and with your explanation simple and even perished delicious.One day I will stage it at home. Thank you.
Posted Sunday, December 6, 2009, at 9:00 pm by Clara:

Hello , i am Clara from Isag in Portugal , and i would like to say that i loved your recipe , is easy to learn and seems easy to make too . One day i will try to make it =) Thanks
Posted Sunday, December 6, 2009, at 8:52 pm by Silvia Bastos:

Hi =) My name is Silvia from ISAG in Portugal. I cook every day, but never cooked PAELLA. It is quite easy and quick to do. With some foods we see that it is possible to make a difference. And onde day I will to try to do this =) ****
Posted Sunday, December 6, 2009, at 5:45 pm by DiogoMatos:

Hallo, I'm Diogo from ISAG from Portugal. Your recipe is very easy and it 's a inviting meal. I'm not a very good cooker but maybe one day I'll try to make this wonderfoul Paella. Thanks for the recipe
Posted Sunday, December 6, 2009, at 5:19 pm by joaocanelas:

...but now I KNOW...
Posted Sunday, December 6, 2009, at 5:18 pm by joaocanelas:

Hello, I'm Joao Canelas from ISAG in Portugal. I thought this was a meal very hard to cook, but now i now that anyone can do that. Thank you very much for this recipe.

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Paella Valenciana