A quintessentially classic Spanish shellfish-based recipe
Ingredients
- 6 cloves of garlic
- 2 green peppers
- saffron
- saffron powder (or mild paprika)
- grilled or roasted red peppers (cut into strips)
- spanish paella rice
- 400 g squid (cut into pieces)
- 500 g shrimp or other shellfish
- 1 dozen large prawns
- 1 l fish stock
- 1 kilo of clams or other shellfish
- 2 dozen mussels (cooked and on the half shell)
- 250 g peas, shelled (or tinned petits pois)
- olive oil
- salt
- glass of white wine
- little tomato puree
- 6 lemons
Method
- Begin by cooking the mussels in a little water or wine - allow to cool and strain and reserve the liquid.
- Peel and crush the garlic; de-seed the green pepper and dice finely.
- In a paella pan, saute the garlic in some olive oil and stir constantly. After two minutes, add the green pepper and allow this to cook for 5 minutes. Keep stirring and do not allow the garlic to burn.
- Next, add the clams and allow them to open. This will release their juices adding to the flavour.
- Then add the saffron and stir in followed by a small pinch of saffron powder, to colour. Allow to cook for another minute and add all the peas.
- When this has been done, add the rice (one cup per person) and stir in together with the shrimp. Stir constantly and add no more than a teaspoon of tomato puree.
- Continue to stir the rice for a few minutes, adding fish stock a little at a time. Allow to settle in the pan, and then reduce the heat.
- Allow this to continue to cook over a low heat adding more fish stock if necessary for around another 8 to ten minutes or until the rice is 'just so'.
- In the meantime garnish on top with the whole prawns and strips of red pepper.
- Serve immediately (after leaving to rest for 5 minutes) and garnish with wedges of lemon.
