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Paella de la Barceloneta (seafood paella)
Serves 2-4 Starters and mains
Ingredients
- 1.25 litre fish stock
- 2 small garlic cloves, peeled
- 1⁄4tsp pure saffron
- 1⁄2tsp kosher salt
- 6tbsp fresh parsley leaves
- 21⁄2tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 60g squid bodies, sliced into rings and tentacles
- 60g firm white fish, such as monkfish or snapper, cut into 2.5cm pieces
- 200g Spanish rice, such as bomba
- 60ml sofregit or shop-bought sofrito
- 1⁄2tsp caramelised onion relish
- 1⁄2tsp pimentón (smoked paprika)
- 1⁄4tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 4 littleneck or cherrystone clams, scrubbed
- 4 medium-sized tail-on prawns, peeled and deveined
- 2tbsp frozen peas, thawed
- 4 small lemon wedges, to serve
- 30cm paella pan
Method
In a medium saucepan, bring the stock to a gentle simmer over a medium heat.
Meanwhile, make a picada by mashing the garlic, saffron, and a pinch of salt to a fine paste in a pestle and mortar. Gradually add in the parsley leaves, mashing each addition completely before adding more, until you have a green paste. Stir in 1⁄2tbsp of the olive oil and a few spoonfuls of warm stock to loosen the mixture so it is just runny enough to slowly drip from the spoon.
In your paella pan, heat the remaining 2tbsp of oil over a high heat. When the oil is shimmering, add the squid and fish. Cook, tossing, for 1-2 minutes, until the squid and fish begin to shrink and turn opaque. Stir in the rice until it is shiny with oil, then add 60ml of sofregit, the onion relish, pimentón, black pepper and 1⁄2tsp of salt. Add around 750ml of hot stock and the picada to the pan. Shake to settle and loosen any rice clusters as the stock begins to boil. Only shake the rice here; if stirred, it will become sticky.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer the paella for around 10 minutes, until 80% of the liquid is absorbed. When most of the liquid is absorbed, the rice will start to sizzle a bit. At this point, add 250ml more stock by drizzling it around the edge of the pan so the stock seeps from the pan edge to the centre.
Arrange the clams around the outer edge of the pan and bury the prawns throughout the rice. Simmer for a further 5-6 minutes, until around 80% of the liquid is absorbed and the rice starts to sizzle again. Drizzle 250ml more stock around the pan's edge and scatter the peas over the rice. Continue to simmer the rice for a further 5-6 minutes until it is just beginning to become tender. At this point, the prawns should be pink, the peas cooked through, and the clams should be open. Test the rice by taking a bite. The paella is done when the rice is plump, glossy, and tender on the surface with a firm white centre when bitten into.
The edge of the paella pan should now have a dark rim of oily starch, which is a good sign of the
crispy socarrat below. To test the socarrat, use a spoon to scrape the bottom of the paella pan. If the spoon doesn’t move through the rice but instead the rice is firm and the pan moves, then the socarrat has begun to form. When the socarrat has begun, rotate the pan for even browning. The rice will crackle as it dries out, then it will go silent when the socarrat is finished forming. Your nose will tell you if it’s beginning to burn; just add a spoonful of stock to the scorching spot if so.
Serve the paella at the centre of the table with spoons for guests to serve themselves and lemon wedges for squeezing.
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