Seafood Paella with Chorizo

Paella is a popular Spanish dish with rice and various toppings, including meat, seafood, and vegetables. The crown jewel of paella is not any of the ingredients, per se, but the very bottom layer of the dish. When properly prepared, paella has a crunchy crust of well-done rice at the bottom called “Socarrat.” Socarrat adds extra flavor and texture that paella aficionados have come to anticipate and enjoy. I will show you how to make paella with fantastically crunchy Socarrat.

Besides Socarrat, paella is distinguished by the flavor and color from a spice called saffron. Saffron comes in threads and brings a floral, earthy taste. It is also saffron that gives the rice its distinct yellow hue. Since saffron is expensive, sometimes people substitute it with turmeric to achieve the yellow hue more economically. Although the rice will look similar, substituting turmeric will change the taste. So if you seek a less pricey alternative to saffron threads, I recommend using a paella seasoning packet that includes saffron. You can buy these seasoning packets either online or at stores.

This one-pan meal has carbs, protein and veggies—which means no sides are needed to enjoy the meal (although a glass of white wine on the side wouldn’t hurt!). This particular paella recipe has both “surf” and “turf” ingredients from a seafood mix of mussels, clams, calamari, and shrimp, and spicy chorizo. Feel free to change things up and use chicken or whatever seafood you prefer, though. This is not very complicated to make, but looks and tastes sophisticated. Scroll down to see how you can enjoy this dish at home!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup Extra virgin olive oil
• 4 cloves Garlic
• 1 Onion
• 1 tsp Saffron
• 1/2 cup White wine
• 2 cups Arborio, medium, or short grain white rice
• 1 cup Flat-leaf parsley, plus extra for garnish
• 2.5 cups Chicken broth
• 1 (14 oz) Chorizo, fully cooked
• 3 Tomatoes, medium
• 1 cup Peas, frozen
• 10 oz Frozen Seafood mix
• 15 Frozen shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 Lemon
• 1 tsp Salt

Instructions

Let’s start with the rice base. The first step in making paella is soaking the rice in water for 30 minutes. This ensures that the rice gets cooked coherently. Another ingredient that you need to presoak is the saffron. It will help draw the yellow color and flavor out of the saffron. Soak the saffron threads in 2 Tbsp of hot water for 10 minutes.

While the rice and saffron threads are soaking, chop parsley, onion and garlic cloves. Cut the tomatoes and chorizo into 1-inch pieces.

Preheat a paella pan or a large pan over medium heat. Add olive oil, chopped garlic, and chopped onion. Cook for 5 minutes to infuse the oil with flavors from the garlic and onion. Then, add the drained soaked rice, chopped parsley, and 1 tsp salt. Cook for 2 minutes while stirring.

Next, add the chicken broth, saffron together with the water, tomatoes, chorizo, and frozen peas to the pan. Stir to combine all the ingredients. Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 20 minutes on low heat.

Finally, add the frozen seafood mix, frozen shrimp, juice of half a lemon, and white wine to the top of paella. Do not stir from this point and close the lid to continue cooking for an additional 15 minutes until the seafood and the rice is cooked through. You will know the seafood is cooked when the clams and mussels open up, and the shrimp turns pink.

Before serving, garnish with lemon slices from the other half of the lemon and extra chopped parsley.

If you enjoyed this recipe, you might also like this Baja Fish Tacos with Creamy Chipotle Sauce. Also, don’t forget to subscribe via email or follow on Instagram so you never miss a recipe!

Print Recipe

5 from 2 votes

Seafood Paella with Chorizo

One-pan dish with rice, vegetables, chorizo, and seafood

Cook Time42 minutes mins

Soaking Time30 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr 12 minutes mins

Course: dinner, lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: Mediterranean, Spanish

Keyword: gluten-free, one-pan meal, seafood

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 2 cups White rice Arborio, medium grain, or short grain
• 1 tsp Saffron
• ½ cup Extra virgin olive oil
• 4 cloves Garlic
• 1 Onion
• 1 cup Flat leaf parsley plus extra for garnish
• 2½ cups Chicken broth
• 1 (14 oz) Chorizo fully cooked
• 3 Tomatoes medium
• 1 cup Peas frozen
• ½ cup White wine
• 10 oz Frozen seafood mix
• 15 Frozen shrimp peeled and deveined
• 1 Lemon
• 1 tsp Salt

Instructions

• Soak rice in water for 30 minutes. Soak saffron threads in 2 Tbsp hot water for 10 minutes.
• Small dice onion and chop garlic cloves. In medium preheated pan, cook the onion and garlic in olive oil for 5 minutes.
• Chop the parsley. Cut the chorizo and tomatoes into 1-inch pieces.
• Add soaked rice, chopped parsley, and salt to the pan and cook for 2 minutes while stirring.
• Add chicken broth, saffron with soaking water, chorizo, tomatoes, and peas. Stir to combine. Place the lid on, turn the heat down to low, and cook for 20 minutes.
• Add seafood mix and shrimp to the top of the paella. Add juice of half a lemon and white wine. Do not stir from this point on. Place the lid back on and cook for an additional 15 minutes, until the rice and seafood are cooked through. Garnish with lemon slices and chopped parsley before serving.

Notes

• For an economic substitute to saffron threads, use paella seasoning packets that include saffron, rather than turmeric. You can purchase these packets online or at stores.

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