Photography by Kevin A. Roberts
Traditional paella from Valencia, Spain, dates to the mid-1800s and calls for rabbit, snails, and chicken, but BARcelona’s version is a mixta featuring various types of meats and seafood. Cooking the dish in a flat-bottomed paella pan creates the fought-over layer of caramelized rice at the bottom called socarrat, a Spanish delicacy that’s essential to an authentic—and delicious—paella.
Ingredients
• 30 threads saffron, crushed (a scant ½ teaspoon)
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 10 large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 6 ounces fresh salmon pieces
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 6 ounces dry-cured Spanish chorizo, cut into ¼-inch-thick coins
• 1 tablespoon smoked Spanish paprika
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 dried bay leaves
• 3 medium tomatoes, minced
• 7 cups chicken broth or clam juice
• 2 ½ cups short-grain rice, preferably Valencia or bomba
• 8 ounces fresh or frozen peas
• 3 jarred roasted red peppers, torn into ½-inch-thick strips
• 12 mussels, cleaned and “beards” removed
Instructions
Place saffron and ¼ cup hot water in a small bowl and let sit for 15 minutes. Season chicken and shrimp with salt and pepper. Heat oil over medium-high heat in a 16- to 18-inch paella pan. (In a pinch, a cast-iron skillet will do.) Add chicken, shrimp, and chorizo and cook, turning occasionally, until browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer shrimp to a plate, leaving meats in pan. Add paprika, garlic, bay leaves, and tomatoes to pan. Cook, stirring often, for about six minutes. Add reserved saffron mixture and broth, season with salt, and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the uncooked salmon; sprinkle in rice, distributing evenly; and add peas and peppers. Cook without stirring until the liquid is absorbed, roughly 10 to 12 minutes. Reduce heat to low, add reserved shrimp and mussels (hinge sides down), and cook, without stirring, until the mussels have opened and the rice has absorbed the liquid and is al dente, five to 10 minutes more. Remove pan from heat, cover with aluminum foil, and let sit for five minutes before serving.
Serves six to eight people
Where to Buy a Paella Pan
Sur La Table
314-993-0566
$20-$65
