Paella de Marisco

Ingredients

• 14⅛ ozshort-grain riceshort grain, e.g. bomba; risotto rice as a substitute
• 3¾ cupsstockfish or shellfish stock, alternatively chicken or vegetable stock; add hot
• 5 tbspolive oilfor frying
• 4 clovesgarlicfinely chopped or crushed
• 1onionlarge, finely diced
• 8¾ oztomatoesripe, diced or peeled; alternatively passata
• 10½ ozprawnslarge, raw
• 10½ ozsquidcleaned tubes, cut into rings or pieces
• 14⅛ ozmusselsmussels or clams, scrubbed and debearded; discard open ones
• 15¾ ozmixed seafoodas an alternative to individual seafood (optional)
• 8¾ ozfish filletfirm white fish, e.g. cod or pollock, in pieces (optional)
• ⅛ ozsaffrondissolved in the hot stock
• 2bell pepperred and green or yellow, diced
• 5¼ ozpeasfrozen, cooked in towards the end
• 1 tsppaprikasweet or smoked (pimentón), toasted with the tomatoes
• ¾ cupwhite winedry, or dry sherry; for deglazing (optional)
• 1lemoncut into wedges for serving
• 1 tbspparsleychopped, for garnish (optional)
• saltto taste
• pepperto taste

Method

1. Finely chop the onion and garlic, dice or peel the tomatoes and cut the bell peppers into pieces.
2. Prepare the seafood: cut the squid into rings or pieces, rinse the prawns and pat them dry, and scrub and debeard the mussels. Throw away any mussels that are already open.
3. Heat the stock, dissolve the saffron in it and keep it warm.
4. Heat the olive oil in the paella pan, sear the prawns (and the fish fillet, if using) quickly over high heat, then lift them out again.
5. Soften the onion, garlic and bell peppers in the pan juices, then add the tomatoes and sweet paprika and let everything cook down. Add the squid and fry it briefly.
6. Scatter in the rice and turn it in the oil until every grain is coated.
7. Pour in the hot saffron stock, spread the rice evenly across the pan, season with salt and pepper, and from now on don't stir. Let it simmer for about 10 to 12 minutes.
8. Arrange the prawns, fish fillet (if using), mussels and peas over the rice and cook for another 5 to 10 minutes, until the liquid has been absorbed and the mussels have opened.
9. Take the pan off the heat, cover it with foil or a tea towel and let it rest for about 5 minutes. Discard any mussels that stayed closed, then serve the paella with lemon wedges and chopped parsley, if you like.

Tips and variations

To keep things simple, use a ready-made seafood mix instead of individual seafood, and firm white fish fillet such as pollock, cod or ling makes the paella even more generous. After softening the vegetables you can deglaze with dry white wine or dry sherry. Instead of the hob, the paella also cooks in the oven at 200 °C in about 40 minutes. For a deeper flavour, fry dried ñora peppers in oil, blend them with the tomatoes into a paste and add langoustines and clams. Leftovers turn into a cold paella salad with white balsamic vinegar; give it at least an hour to sit. It's nicest to put the pan straight on the table with the lemon wedges alongside.