Paella for Four; A Wonderful Spanish Mixed Seafood Stew
By: Tom and Anita Morgan
Published: Tuesday, April 29, 2014 - 9:51am

Ingredients




Chicken Seasoning Mix:
1 T smoky paprika
2 t dried oregano
a pinch of Kosher salt
a pinch of freshly ground black pepper
Everything Else:
8 pieces chicken wings
12 small littleneck clams or 8 large
6-8 oz solid chorizo sausage, cut into ¼ inch rounds
8 large shrimp or 12 small
¼ C extra virgin olive oil
1 white onion, skinned and diced
4 large cloves garlic, skinned and diced
¼ C Italian parsley leaves, chopped
1 of 14.5 oz whole tomatoes, drained, crushed and chopped coarse
1 C short grain Spanish rice (we used La Bomba but Arborio can be substituted)
2 C hot water
a pinch of saffron
salt and pepper to taste
4 oz shelled green peas for garnish
4-8 lemon wedges for serving

Preparation

1 1. Use a 12 inch All-Clad stainless steel pan or equivalent. A paella pan is not necessary. 2 2. Mix the Spice Mix and rub on the chicken and refrigerate for 1 hour. Let the chicken warm up for 30 minutes before cooking. 3 3. Heat half of the oil in the pan to medium high heat and brown the sausage rounds, then reserve. 4 4. Add the remaining oil and chicken and brown on all sides, then reserve. 5 5. Reduce the heat to medium and add the onions, garlic and parsley to start the sofrito. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes then add the crushed and drained tomatoes and cook for about 3 minutes while flavors meld. This base sauce is the sofrito. 6 6. Add the rice and stir to mix thoroughly to coat all the rice; about 2 more minutes. 7 7. Add back the sausage and chicken. Pour in the hot water, bring to a gentle simmer and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to mix and place the pieces. 8 8. Place the clams where you want them in the finished dish and don't stir anymore. Cook for 5 minutes. 9 9. Place the shrimp tails up where you want them to appear in the finished dish. 10 10. Cook for about 10 minutes or until the clams are open, the shrimp are pink and the rice is fluffy and moist but not dry. 11 11. With a fork, feel the bottom of the dish. If it has formed a slight crust, called socarrat, it's ready to be served. If the socarrat has not formed, turn the heat up for 30 to 45 seconds while the crust forms. Then serve immediately.

About

This paella is part of our Seafood Stew series. If you are interested in a full history and choices of ingredients for paella check out our blog @
http://tomandanitamorgan.blogspot.com/2014/01/paella-for-four-wonderful-spanish-mixed.html﻿