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Use a large frying pan or sauteuse (more than 28 diameter). Use a shallow flat pan. It’s very important that rice height over pan surface will not exceed 2 centimetres.
Seafood:
- 12 (two each) fresh big shrimps (Malaysian tigers will do well), but you can use whatever specimen from your country. You can use defrosted ones if you like.
- Six medium squids (calamari) as the one you can see on the picture
- 1 medium Cuttlefish (this is additional stuff to add or a substitute for the squid
500 grams fresh mussels - 12 Norway lobster or crayfish (Spanish Cigala) is similar to river crabs. May be too difficult to find in your country.
- 400 gram small clams
Additional ingredients
- 2-3 cloves of garlic, crushed (do not crush them if you don’t like garlic)
- Fresh parsley (minced if you like it)
- 1 generous pinch of saffron / tea spoon yellow food coloring
( This is up to you, we suggest food coloring the first times) - 2 green peppers, sliced
- 1 red pepper, sliced
- 4 small tomatoes / or natural tomato sauce
- 4 cups of rice
- 7 / 8 cups of water
- 1/3 cup of Olive Oil, add more if necessary according to pan dimensions
- Salt
Introduction
The main goal when you try to make paella it to “catch” the point to the rice. Let’s say somehow is like cooking “Maki” if the rice texture and flavour is no good all efforts are in vain. Only the experience and some tricks can help in this matter so we will give you the only ones that we have found useful:
- Add 1 cup of rice and little more than 2 water cups per person.
- Do not overheat the pan – use medium fire- when cooking the rice at the end
- Add water if needed (very little)
- Remove when the rice heart is still hard and serve immediately. If not the rice will overdo and texture quality is bad (we call it – se ha pasado el arroz-)
Cooking directions
Boil some water in a bowl and add the mussels and the clams. I you want to add a couple of marine crabs (small ones) it’s a good idea. When done just take apart and do not throw the water. Just let it there for a while.
Add oil to the pan and heat it up. Then add the garlic, tomatoes (that you will have to peel it up and smash previously if you don’t use sauce) and the sliced peppers. Add only one shrimp (do not peel them) and one crayfish (reserve the others). After cleaning and sliding those with a knife add the Calamari (Squids). Add also half the small clams (do no forget to keep the water after filtering it using paper or other device).
Remove it gently using medium to high fire until you notice the ingredients are almost done. (see our work in progress picture)
Now if you have all this done you actually can stop and take a rest. You have done the basic stuff.
Add the rice and the water (use some of the boiled water you kept after boiling the mussels and clams, this gives it a nice natural fishy flavour) . It’s a good moment to add the colouring food ingredient or saffron if you have not done it before.
Fifteen minutes are fine but keep an eye on it and do not overheat the pan (medium low fire is ok). Do not remove the rice! Just use a wood spoon or similar to move a little bit those spot that have run out of water.
Try the rice and add salt if needed or desired. When you have reached the desired rice cooking point remove it from fire (I usually do so when a little water is on it and rice is slightly hard).
Good luck! Chairoko and Kiiroko did it perfect with Grandma bunny.
19 Comments so far
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Uh! El más difícil todavía!
Making a GOOD paella is much more difficult that it seems, although here’s perfectly explained.
P.S.: What about the onion?
Comment by katanga May 21, 2007 @ 4:54 pmUh! El más difícil todavía!Making a GOOD paella is much more difficult that it seems, although here’s perfectly explained.P.S.: What about the onion?
Comment by Anonymous May 21, 2007 @ 4:54 pmUh! El más difícil todavía!
Making a GOOD paella is much more difficult that it seems, although here’s perfectly explained.
P.S.: What about the onion?
Comment by katanga May 21, 2007 @ 4:54 pmPosted by nijntje.
I would like to try Paella!!
Comment by CafeMiffy May 21, 2007 @ 5:03 pmI will ask my parents if they can make it.
Posted by nijntje.I would like to try Paella!!I will ask my parents if they can make it.
Comment by Anonymous May 21, 2007 @ 5:03 pmPosted by nijntje.
I would like to try Paella!!
Comment by CafeMiffy May 21, 2007 @ 5:03 pmI will ask my parents if they can make it.
Me ha llevado toda la tarde conseguir explicarlo. Bufff.
Making GOOD Paella is very difficult. I know it. But the point is the rice and surely at Cafemiffy they will soon master paella rice cooking.
PS: We do not use onion. I must say that normally you do, specially in Catalonia, but we think that using onion or sugar (somepeople use it) is not a good idea when cooking a seafood paella.
PS2: There are many Paella recipes. You can try, experiment, after all this is all about cooking
Comment by Miffa May 21, 2007 @ 5:09 pmMe ha llevado toda la tarde conseguir explicarlo. Bufff.Making GOOD Paella is very difficult. I know it. But the point is the rice and surely at Cafemiffy they will soon master paella rice cooking.PS: We do not use onion. I must say that normally you do, specially in Catalonia, but we think that using onion or sugar (somepeople use it) is not a good idea when cooking a seafood paella.PS2: There are many Paella recipes. You can try, experiment, after all this is all about cooking
Comment by Anonymous May 21, 2007 @ 5:09 pmMe ha llevado toda la tarde conseguir explicarlo. Bufff.
Making GOOD Paella is very difficult. I know it. But the point is the rice and surely at Cafemiffy they will soon master paella rice cooking.
PS: We do not use onion. I must say that normally you do, specially in Catalonia, but we think that using onion or sugar (somepeople use it) is not a good idea when cooking a seafood paella.
PS2: There are many Paella recipes. You can try, experiment, after all this is all about cooking
Comment by Miffa May 21, 2007 @ 5:09 pmYou must taste the one I make. You’ll change your opinion on using onion 😉
Comment by katanga May 21, 2007 @ 5:26 pmYou must taste the one I make. You’ll change your opinion on using onion 😉
Comment by Anonymous May 21, 2007 @ 5:26 pmYou must taste the one I make. You’ll change your opinion on using onion 😉
Comment by katanga May 21, 2007 @ 5:26 pmNijntje.
I am sure that your parents will do an excellent one.
And we will ask our friend katanga – who made an excellent artwork for Miffa and your sisters sailing cup- to explain her secret recipe.
PS: Katanga ABSOLUTELY NO MEAT!!!
Comment by Miffa May 21, 2007 @ 6:22 pm😉
Nijntje.I am sure that your parents will do an excellent one. And we will ask our friend katanga – who made an excellent artwork for Miffa and your sisters sailing cup- to explain her secret recipe.PS: Katanga ABSOLUTELY NO MEAT!!!;)
Comment by Anonymous May 21, 2007 @ 6:22 pmNijntje.
I am sure that your parents will do an excellent one.
And we will ask our friend katanga – who made an excellent artwork for Miffa and your sisters sailing cup- to explain her secret recipe.
PS: Katanga ABSOLUTELY NO MEAT!!!
Comment by Miffa May 21, 2007 @ 6:22 pm😉
jajajaja, ABSOLUTELY! Sure! I never do, don’t worry 😉
Comment by katanga May 22, 2007 @ 10:23 amjajajaja, ABSOLUTELY! Sure! I never do, don’t worry 😉
Comment by Anonymous May 22, 2007 @ 10:23 amjajajaja, ABSOLUTELY! Sure! I never do, don’t worry 😉
Comment by katanga May 22, 2007 @ 10:23 am[…] there we moved to Cadaques were we visited their center and we had Paella. A very nice dinner but may be too much Paella for us. The road from L’Escala to Cadaques is very […]
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