In an attempt to keep the buzz from our trip to Barcelona going, and the monotony of the day-to-day at bay, I decided to christen one of the two paella pans that I proudly returned home with. This is a dish that has deep roots for Mrs. Kegs and Kitchen. Her grandma used to make a version of her own that will make Lady J’s eyes roll back in her head at the mere mention of it. I had stiff competition to say the least.
I’d done my research. I’d even seen the real deal come out of the kitchen at the birthplace of paella. I clocked many hours studying the site of Sarah Jay, the apparent Queen of Paella. She laid it all out for me. This was how one is supposed to make paella, all I had to do was take notes and duplicate.
I went with the traditional seafood version. In reality, a paella can be whatever the hell you want it to be. There are several more common versions among those lucky enough to have originated from Spain. The most traditional is the seafood version which starts with the rice and saffron mixture that all of them do, and then brings it with the shrimp, mussels and scallops. I wanted to keep it real, so this was the direction that I chose.
At first glance, the recipe is a little intimidating, but in the end this dish was a snap. Here’s what’s in it:
First thing to do is to cook the skrimps and scallops in the pan, with some olive oil, over medium heat. Once they’re done (only about 2 minutes) put them aside.
Now you need to make your sofrito. You need about a tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Add your garlic and onions and cook for a minute or two. Then add your tomato and a pinch of salt and continue cooking this mixture down until you have a darker, thicker version, about 10-15 minutes. This is sofrito.
Bring your stock up to a simmer and toast your saffron in a dry pan or toaster oven, until it turns a dark red. After they’re toasted, crush the saffron threads in a small bowl using the back of a spoon. Add this powder to your broth and stir.
Now add your rice to the sofrito mixture, still over medium heat. You want to cook it until it starts to turn transparent (a couple of minutes). At this point you can crank up the heat and add your broth. Stir or shake the pan to get a level bed of rice. Once it starts to boil, add your mussels. Take care to place them in a presentable pattern as you will not stir the dish again, and this dish is all about the presentation and the WOWS! that are sure to follow.
Bring the heat back down to about medium high and continue cooking until you start to see the rice appear above the liquid line. Lower the heat again to medium low and continue to cook until all of the liquid has been absorbed. Taste a piece of rice to make sure it’s al dente. If not, add a little more liquid and keep cookin’
Add your shrimp and scallops right on top of the rice and cover the pan with foil. Continue cooking for a couple more minutes. Then crank the heat up again to start browning the bottom layer. You want the rice on the bottom of the pan to start to caramelize, this is called socarrat. The sign of a perfect paella is a nice layer of socarrat on the bottom of the pan. Many say that this is the best part.
Take the pan off of the heat, leave it covered for about 5 minutes and place it on the table. The paella continues to cook slightly during this resting period, it’s important, don’t skip it, Skippy.
With everyone’s attention, remove the foil, garnish with lemon wedges and stand back to watch the reaction. In Spain, most families would eat it right out of the pan. This is intended to be a dish that you quite literally share with the rest of the table. That’s part of what I love about it, a meal that really brings everyone together.
So, gather up the ones you love and give this dish a shot. It’s a great intro to the cuisine of Spain, and the concept of communal eating.
Enjoy!
