Our editor’s favorite, this paella makes a showstopping dinner.
Paella with Shrimp and Mussels
Makes 12 to 15 servings
Ingredients
- 7 cups chicken broth
- 1½ teaspoons saffron threads, crushed
- ½ cup canola oil
- 2 cups chopped yellow onion
- 1 cup chopped yellow bell pepper ¼ cup chopped garlic
- 3 cups long-grain rice
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes, drained and chopped
- 1 pound medium fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 pound fresh mussels, scrubbed
- 1 (4-ounce) jar diced pimientos, drained
- ½ cup frozen sweet peas
- ⅓ cup chopped fresh parsley
- Lemon slices, to serve
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, bring broth, to a simmer. Remove from heat. Add saffron; cover and let stand for 10 minutes.
- In a 15-inch cast-iron skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and bell pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Add garlic; cook for 1 minute. Add rice; cook for 2 minutes. Stir in paprika, salt, pepper, and 6 cups broth mixture; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover tightly with foil. Cook, stirring once, until rice is almost tender, about 15 minutes.
- Stir in tomatoes and remaining 1 cup broth mixture; arrange shrimp and mussels, hinge side down, over rice mixture. Sprinkle with pimientos and peas. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover tightly with foil, and cook until shrimp are pink and firm and mussels open, about 10 minutes more.
- Remove from heat; let stand for 5 minutes before serving. (Discard unopened mussels.) Sprinkle with parsley, and serve with lemon slices.
