I’m pretty sure real paella connoisseurs would set me on fire for making paella this way, but it winds up pretty tasty and if you use a cast iron pan, the soccarat tastes just as good as some I’ve had in restaurants. All of the seafood is optional–we usually just use what looks the best in the case. You can do this with cooked chicken, chunks of fish…
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- medium onion
- medium red pepper
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- 1 package yellow saffron rice
- 2 links of chorizo
- 1 1/4 cups of fat free chicken broth
- 1 1/4 cups of water
- 1/4 tsp thyme
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 8-10 clams
- 8-10 mussels
- small tin of octopus
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 12-14 shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 4-6 scallops
Heat oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic and cook until onion is translucent. Add thyme and paprika and coat onion and garlic. Add red pepper and chorizo and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add rice package and toss the grains until they are a little “toasted”. (I actually spoon out some of the seasoning from the rice package to cut down on the saltiness) Slowly add the broth and water and simmer over medium for 20-30 minutes. DO NOT STIR AFTER THIS. You can move the pan around on the burner, shifting its location–this will help to cook everything well and form the crispy, delicious soccarat. Preheat oven to 350. Add the seafood, tucking them into the rice so they cook fully. Make sure the shrimp turn opaque pink and all shells open–about 4-5 minutes (toss out any that don’t). Drain octopus of any oil and add as well. Sprinkle the frozen peas on top. Move cast iron pan into the oven and cook for 5-7 minutes–this helps to crisp everything up. Serve and dig in!
