Easy Seafood Paella
You can have this Easy Seafood Paella on the table in much less time than with traditional methods, as we remove the extra steps of mortar/pestle paste-making. No need for a paella pan here. An extra-large pan or skillet will work.
Servings: 8 servings
Ingredients
- 4 to 4 ¼ cups chicken broth, good quality homemade or store bought
- 2 cups clam juice, bottled, found in grocery stores
- 1 lb firm white fish, cut into bite size pieces (i.e., mahi-mahi, orange roughly, snapper, or halibut are good.)
- 14 fresh mussels in shell, cleaned/de-bearded, and well-drained
- 14 clams in shell, cleaned and well-drained
- 12 shrimp, large or extra large, shelled or de-shelled
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 8 cloves fresh garlic, minced
- ¼ cup freshly chopped cilantro
- ¼ cup freshly chopped basil
- ¼ cup freshly chopped scallions
- 3 teaspoons smoked paprika, it's important to use smoked paprika for the smoky flavor
- 3 Roma tomatoes, large, seeded and chopped
- 2 cups Arborio rice, dry
- lemon wedges, to serve, or lime wedges or chopped cilantro (optional)
Instructions
- In a pot, heat up 4 cups of chicken broth and the clam juice. Cover and keep warm. Thoroughly dry the fish and shrimp with paper towels, keeping them separate. Sprinkle both with a layer of kosher salt and black pepper. Set aside and continue with recipe.
- In an extra large heavy skillet/pan (or cast iron pan, but NOT non-stick,) heat up the salted butter on high heat. Add the onions and garlic, cooking and stirring for 1 minute.
- Add the cilantro, basil, and scallions, stirring for 1 min. Add smoked paprika and tomatoes, stirring to combine well. Cover and let cook 3-4 minutes until tomatoes become soft.
- Pour in the hot broth/clam juice mixture. Bring to a boil. Add salt and pepper to taste - I prefer to add more seasoning rather than less, as the rice will absorb it all.
- Sprinkle rice over the pan. Boil for 3 minutes uncovered, stirring occasionally. Smooth out the rice.
- Add fish evenly over the rice. If needed, press down so that the fish is mostly submerged in liquid. Do not stir at all from here on out.
- Lower heat to a low boil and cook uncovered until most of the liquid is absorbed, but there is still enough to continue cooking, 10 minutes - add up to 1/4 cup extra broth if it's too dry.
- Add all of the shellfish evenly over the top, placing shells so that they will open face up. Cook over low boil uncovered for 15 minutes, until rice is tender and shrimp is opaque. Turn shrimp over once halfway through cooking to ensure it cooks through.
- Turn heat off and immediately cover with a domed lid or foil and let sit for 10 minutes. Discard any unopened shellfish. Serve immediately with wedges of lemon, lime, or cilantro as desired.
Notes
- Keep in mind that the better your broth, the better the rice flavor will be.
- Sometimes peas are added, so feel free to use them if you like.
- Traditionally, a generous pinch of saffron is used in paella. If you like, add saffron threads to the dish when tomatoes are added.
- If your fish and shrimp release extra moisture during prep, be sure to pat them completely dry with paper towels. This helps them sear better and keeps the paella from becoming watery.
- We highly recommend using smoked paprika instead of regular paprika. It adds the deep, smoky flavor,
- If your shellfish aren’t opening after cooking, discard them. Only fully opened mussels and clams are safe to eat and should be served.
- This dish is best eaten the day it's made; Arborio rice tends to become too soft the next day, similar to what happens with risotto.
- This recipe is part of our Fish and Seafood Recipes Collection.
- We often pair Easy Seafood Paella with Rosemary Garlic Bread or Strawberry Salad with Asparagus.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 355kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 66mg | Sodium: 885mg | Potassium: 531mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1017IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 52mg | Iron: 4mg