Austin Liu
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A paella-adjacent seafood rice

Yield
2–3 servings
Active time
≈ 30 min
Saffron
0 g

Abstract

Traditional paella requires raw short-grain rice, a wide pan, saffron, and forty minutes of not stirring. We present a protocol that requires none of these. Rice that has already been cooked is simmered briefly in a tomato, pepper and paprika base with squid and chicken, then covered with prawns, clams and mussels and steamed until the clams open. The dish was completed in about half an hour and looked like paella from a distance. Its authenticity was not assessed, and no Valencian reviewers were invited to take part in the study.

A wide metal pan of seafood rice topped with whole prawns, open clams, mussels, lemon wedges and parsley.
Figure 1. The finished dish.

1. Materials

Rice. 300 g cooked rice, ideally a day old.

Seafood. 8 large prawns, deveined, 120 g squid cut into rings, 8 mussels and a generous handful of clams, scrubbed.

Chicken. 1–2 boneless thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces.

Base. 60 g onion and garlic (minced together), 100 g tomato and 80 g red and yellow bell pepper (both diced), 1 tbsp olive oil and 3 g paprika.

Liquid. 150 ml stock or water.

To finish. Salt, black pepper, ½ lemon cut into wedges and some parsley.

Apparatus. A wide pan with a lid.

2. Method

  1. Base. Heat the olive oil and fry the onion and garlic until fragrant. Add the tomato and peppers and cook until soft.
  2. Chicken and squid. Add the chicken and cook until it is no longer pink outside, then add the squid and cook until it just turns opaque.
  3. Rice. Add the rice, paprika, stock, salt and pepper. Stir to break up any clumps and bring it to a simmer.
  4. Steam. Arrange the prawns, clams and mussels on top. Cover and cook over medium heat for 3–5 minutes, until the clams have opened and the prawns are pink. Throw out any clams that stay shut.
  5. Rest. Turn off the heat and leave it covered for 2 minutes. Squeeze over some of the lemon, then add the parsley and remaining wedges before serving.
Rice simmering in a stainless steel pan with squid rings, chicken pieces, diced tomato and red and yellow peppers.
Figure 2. The base after step 3, before the shellfish goes on.

3. Discussion

Since the rice is already cooked, it only has to absorb the base, so it cooks way faster. The downside is there is no socarrat, the crisp layer that forms on the bottom of a real paella.

Don’t stir after step 3 since the rice is already soft and turns to mush if you keep moving it.

Squid goes rubbery and prawns go chalky if they cook for too long, which is why the prawns go on top at the end and are steamed rather than fried.

4. Limitations

No saffron was used. That would make this dish a lot better.