Paella De Marisco

Dan had a hankering for some Spanish food while coming up with meal ideas this week, and he pulled Menu Del Dia: More Than 100 Authentic, Classic Recipes From Across Spain off the shelf and read through it. He landed on a seafood paella recipe, so we decided to try it out tonight. The timing was perfect, because we were able to get really, really fresh clams & mussels from Taylor Shellfish Farms.

Visually, I think it could use some more color - but the flavors were great. And this recipe made a huge batch - plenty for 6 people - so we'll be eating it for the next couple days.



Paella De Marisco
1 small yellow or white onion, chopped
3 tbspn olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 ripe tomatoes, skinned & seeded*, then roughly chopped
1 1/2 tspn paprika
6 saffron threads, toasted in a hot, dry pan
4 1/4 cups fish stock
2 1/2 cups short-grain rice
16 clams
16 mussels
8 large shrimp

Place a large paella pan over low heat and slowly cook the onion in the olive oil. When the onion has softened considerably but not browned, add the garlic. Stir well and cook for 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and stir well. Add the paprika. Stir well. Add the saffron. Raise the heat to medium and stir well. Heat the stock separately until simmering. Add the clams, mussels, and shrimp to the pan and stir well to coat with the mixture. After 2 minutes, remove half the shellfish, set aside, and add the hot stock to the pan. Bring the stock to a simmer. Add the rice, spreading it evenly across the pan. Arrange the shellfish you have set aside on top. Cook over medium-low heat for 25 minutes - moving the pan every 5 minutes to spread the heat - until the stock has all but evaporated and the rice is beginning to stick to the bottom of the pan (you can check this with a wooden spatula or spoon). Turn off the heat and cover with a newspaper. Leave for 10 minutes. Remove the newspaper, take in the aroma, and serve.



* To skin a tomato, put it in boiling water for about 30 seconds, until the skin begins to peel away, then move it to an ice bath to stop any cooking. The skin will peel right off. Quarter the tomato and scoop out the seeds with your thumb.