While there is a plethora of seafood dishes to cook in the comfort of your home, there is one dish that can be called the ultimate comfort food. Paella is a traditional dish in Spain, and below is a seafood variety you simply must try.
Ingredients:
- 4 small lobster tails (6-12 oz each)
- Water
- 3 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil (Private Reserve recommended)
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 2 cups Spanish rice or medium-grain rice, soaked in water for 20 minutes and drained
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped
- 2 large pinches of Spanish saffron threads soaked in ½ cup water
- 1 tsp Sweet Spanish paprika
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- ½ tsp chili pepper flakes (Aleppo pepper recommended)
- Salt
- 2 large Roma tomatoes, finely chopped
- 6 oz French green beans, trimmed
- 1 lb prawns or large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
Instructions:
- In a large pot, bring 3 cups of water to a boil. Add lobster tails and briefly boil (1-2 minutes) until pink. Remove with tongs. Do not discard cooking water. Once cooled, remove shells and cut into large chunks.
- In a deep pan or cast iron skillet, heat 3 tbsp olive oil. Saute onions for 2 minutes, then add rice and cook for 3 more minutes, stirring regularly. Add garlic, lobster cooking water, saffron, paprika, cayenne pepper, Aleppo pepper, and salt. Stir in tomatoes and green beans. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and cook on low for 20 minutes.
- Uncover, spread shrimp over rice, pushing it in slightly. Add water if needed. Cover and cook for 10 minutes or until shrimp turns pink. Add lobster chunks, warm through, and turn off heat. Garnish with parsley.
- Serve hot with your favorite white wine.
Notes:
- Soaking rice in water speeds up cooking. Break a grain between thumb and index finger to test readiness.
- Stirring rice early works well in this recipe, despite traditional paella advice.
- For chorizo, add thin half-moons after sauteing onions.
- For shellfish, nestle cleaned clams or mussels in rice when adding shrimp, ensuring hinge sides are up. Cover until open and shrimp turns pink.
- For fish, cut sole fillet into pieces, season, and add with shrimp. Cover until fish is flaky.
As you can see this recipe is not too complicated and will deliver delicious results. Try making this dish in your own kitchen and delight your dinner guests with your culinary skills.
Images/Source: TheMediterraneanDish
