Last spring, I traveled to Madrid, Spain and had the chance to do make chicken paella in the home of a Spanish grandmother, Antonia and her granddaughter Ariadna who served as our translator. It ended up being one of my favorite experiences in the country. The paella was delicious, but so was the company and conversations. I wanted to try recreating a little of the experience by making paella in my own kitchen.
A Little About Paella
Paella originated in Valencia, Spain, and is traditionally prepared in a wide, shallow pan called a paellera. There are countless variations, and every cook seems to have their own favorite way of making it. Depending on the recipe, you might find chicken, seafood, vegetables, or rabbit (eek, yeah, I know - we aren’t trying this in our 3-bunny home).
Paella is meant for sharing. In some Spanish communities, enormous pans of paella are prepared for festivals and celebrations, feeding an entire crowd. That’s part of what makes it so special.
For my version at home, I chose a mixed paella with chicken, chorizo, lobster, mussels, clams, and shrimp from Spain-Recipes.com. I especially love the addition of seafood. Fish and shellfish are considered “blue foods” - foods that come from aquatic environments and many can be nutritious and environmentally sustainable protein choices.
And, putting on my dietitian hat for a moment, there’s a lot to like about this dish nutritionally. It’s packed with vegetables and several sources of protein. If you’re looking to reduce the amount of rice or carbohydrates, you could experiment with replacing some of the rice with cauliflower rice. Just know that it won’t cook or taste quite like traditional paella, but that’s totally okay.
So, while this is a bit different from the chicken paella I made in Spain, I thought the combination of seafood, chicken, vegetables, and all those Spanish flavors sounded worth trying. Now we’ll see what my family thinks!
**If you are heading to Madrid, and would like to have this exact experience, you can book it through The Traveling Spoon: https://www.travelingspoon.com/hosts/19013-spanish-cooking-class-with-a-lovely-grandmother-in-madrid
Seafood Paella recipe
Difficulty: Intermediate
Preparation and cooking time: Approximately 60–90 minutes
Ingredients
1/2 pint olive oil
10 mussels
10 clams
2 oz boneless pork, diced
2 teaspoons minced garlic
6 oz onion, finely chopped
1 medium tomato, peeled, seeded, and chopped
1 small red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
1 small green bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
1 small yellow bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
32 oz boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into chunks
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
24 oz lobster claws
24 oz rice
3 cups chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon saffron
2 chorizo sausages, cooked and cut into chunks
10 uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined
4 oz peas
4 tablespoons capers
Lemon wedges, for serving
Preparation
Scrub and debeard the mussels and clams. Discard any that do not close when tapped, and set the rest aside.
Heat 1/4 cup of the olive oil in a skillet. Add the pork and brown it on all sides. Add the garlic, onion, tomato, and bell peppers and cook, stirring frequently, until softened. Remove from the heat and set aside.
In another skillet, heat an additional 1/4 cup olive oil. Add the chicken and cook until browned on all sides. Season with salt, pepper, paprika, rosemary, thyme, and cumin. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.
Using the same skillet, cook the lobster claws over high heat for several minutes, until the shells turn pink. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 200°F.
Heat 4 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet and sauté the rice until it begins to look translucent. Add the chicken broth and stir well. Stir in the pork and vegetable mixture, followed by the saffron.
Transfer the rice mixture to a paella pan. Add the lobster claws, chicken, chorizo, mussels, clams, shrimp, peas, and capers, distributing everything throughout the pan.
Bake uncovered on the lowest oven rack for approximately 25 minutes, or until the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is cooked.
Before serving, discard any mussels or clams that have not opened.
Bring the paella straight to the table in the pan and serve with lemon wedges.
Serves: 6–8 | Time: 60–90 minutes
