Of all the paellas in the world, none of them is more famous than the seafood one. Actually, since this type of paella is so famous, many people tend to believe it´s the original recipe, but the truth is that chicken paella is the one that was invented first. Anyway, no matter which one is the authentic dish, what we know is that they both taste delicious. Today we are going to teach you the best Spanish seafood paella recipe, and we will also tell you many interesting information about this plate.
What is Spanish seafood paella?
We know most of you probably know what the Spanish seafood paella is, and if it´s the case be patient because we will tell you about the recipe in a second, but for the ones who doesn´t know it yet, here we go.
The traditional seafood paella is a very common dish in Catalonia, some areas of Valencian Community (Overt there the chicken paella is more popular), and in general people eat it many often in areas near the beach.
It can be done in a million ways, but the majority of the people uses at least muscles and shrimps.
How to make Spanish seafood paella?
Now you are more than ready to learn our easy Spanish seafood paella recipe!
Spanish seafood paella ingredients 🥘
- 3-4 chopped garlic cloves.
- 1 Small/ medium onion
- ½ red pepper (Optional)
- 2-3 teaspoons of grated tomato
- A tube of squid
- 10/15 shrimps
- 4/5 Prawns (Optional)
- 8/12 cleaned muscles.
- 400 grams of “bomba” rice (short-grain rice)
- 4 cups of fish broth.
- A pinch of saffron threads.
- Big amount of salt.
- 1 Tbsp of sweet paprika and black pepper.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
Seafood Paella nutrition facts
- Seafood paella calories: 544
- Fat: 13g
- Protein: 17g
- Carbs: 36g
- Preparation Time: 20 Minutes
Cooking Time: 40 Minutes
Total Cooking Time 🍳: 1 Hour
Simple Spanish seafood paella recipe 👨🍳
- 1) Turn on the paella pan to a medium heat and spread the olive oil.
- 2) The first ingredient you will need to add is the slices of squid. Leave them for 1 or 2 minutes and then take them out again.
- 3) Add the minced garlic and onions for a minute (Don´t let them burn!)
- 4) In case you want to add green or red pepper, do it now!
- 5) Place the grated tomato, then the black pepper and salt and then the sweet paprika. Combine it all together for around two minutes.
- 6) Put back the squid into the paella pan and then spread the fish broth all over the pan (You can also use water).
- 7) Add the saffron thread and mix it all together. Leave it one or two minutes until it starts boiling.
- 8) Distribute the short grain rice and let it cook for around 4-6 minutes.
- 9) Now it´s time to place on top of the rice the muscles, the shrimps and in case you have prawns add them as well.
- 10) Stop stirring and let it boil for around 5 minutes. Then turn it down to a medium heat and leave it for another 10 minutes.
- 11) Last of all, cover the pan with foil paper and turn off the heat completely.
- 12) Your perfect seafood paella is done! Enjoy it!
How to eat seafood paella?
It´s the classic seafood paella a main course and you eat it by itself? Do you have entrees or starters before? Many people have these questions when they are about to eat paella, and the truth is that you can do whatever it pleases you.
In Spain, if you are cooking paella at home, then it´s enough as a main course and you won´t need to cook anything else. But, if you are going to a restaurant, most of the people would normally order any kind of entrees while waiting for the dish to be set.
Of course, this always depends on how much you like to eat, how hungry you are and the amount of money you want to spend.
What to serve with seafood paella?
As we have just said, you won´t always eat something else before paella, but if it´s the case there are many options to choose.
Since the authentic seafood paella is a typical dish from the coast, from places near the beach, many people like to order seafood tapas like calamari, chipirones (other type of squid), octopus or sardines.
Another great option is to have something that won´t fulfill much your stomach as a salad or something like that. And last of all, what many people do is asking for aioli with bread (Which by the way is delicious).
What does seafood paella taste like?
Believe it or not, there are many differences between eating a normal chicken paella, a black paella, a vegetarian paella or a seafood paella. Although they may look very similar the taste is completely different.
In this case, the seafood paella has an ocean flavor. The shrimps, muscles, squid and prawns give the rice a different touch. Our best recommendation is to try it and decide which is the best paella for you.
Hope you enjoyed our seafood paella Valenciana recipe!
That´s all you need to know about the most popular Spanish dish, as you have seen, learning how to cook seafood paella is very easy, so now you have to make your own at home.
If you have any question about the recipe or anything else, please let us know.
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