Just a brief note on this wonderful dish that has its origins in Spain. There are hundreds of variations on this dish, and the recipe below is just one of them. The basics are rice and saffron-scented stock. After that, you can “have at it” with your own variations. Arborio rice is the best as it has a good starch content to provide heft to the preparation. The most common additions are chicken, merguez sausage, shrimp and fish. Shellfish such as clams and mussels are an attractive addition, as well as a small lobster tail if you want to splurge. A true paella pan is the best as it is shallow and wide but a large oven-proof sauté pan will do fine. Make sure the depth of the rice is no more that 1.5 inches (3-4cm). Enjoy preparing, serving and dining on this festive and hearty dish.
Ingredients
Stock* 4.5 cups
Saffron good pinch
Arborio Rice 2.5 cups
Olive Oil as needed
Medium Onion 1
Crushed Tomatoes 1-1.5 cups
Sausages 2-3 - cut lengthwise into 4 pieces
I prefer a pre-cooked chicken or turkey sausage such as an andouille for a spicy addition, or a chicken-mango or chicken-sun dried tomato sausage. These choices have less fat content.
Chicken Thighs 6 cut in half lengthwise
Boneless/skinless works the best, but at least remove the skin if you want the bone in.
Shrimp 12-20 depending on size, shelled and de-veined
Fish 1-1.5lbs
Any good white-fleshed fish will do, but the richer the fish (read-from colder waters), the better. I have used Halibut, Sablefish (Alaskan or Pacific Black Cod), and these are the best, but Sea Bass (not Chilean as it is not a bass at all), Black Bass or Haddock work fine.
Frozen Green Peas 1 pack, 12-16 oz
* * * * * * *
Preheat Oven to 425F
1. Put the stock in a saucepan, add the saffron and gently warm, do not boil.
2. Dice the onion and sauté at medium heat until wilted (translucent), then add the rice and stir continuously to heat the rice. This brings out the flavor in the rice.
3. Add the tomatoes and thoroughly blend with the onion-rice mixture, and turn off the heat.
4. Gently pour in the stock and even out the distribution of the rice with the flat part of a spatula held parallel to the bottom of the pan.
5. Distribute evenly the fish, chicken and shrimp like the spokes of a wheel, with any extra around the sides. Then add the peas and gently tamp down the surface of the entire pan to make it “level”.
6. Cook for about 45 min, checking halfway to see how the rice is absorbing the liquid.
7. If you are planning to add shellfish such as mussels or clams, do this at the halfway mark when checking in. As you will be pulling the pan out of the oven to do this, you must add another 5-7 min to the cooking time as both the pan and oven will have cooled off some.
* I typically use a basic poultry (chicken or turkey) stock. If you save shrimp or lobster shells, you can make the stock from these. Add the onions, carrots and celery for this seafood stock, and cook for about 30 min. For an interesting twist, use a chopped fennel bulb (small) instead of the celery. Strain the stock and then add the saffron, not before or you will lose the delicate aromas of the saffron.