This recipe has been on my list to put on the blog for a few weeks now. I really was going to make it on Thursday for dinner, but then work got busy. Saturday night I was too cold to get out from under my blanket to cook, but I finally got into the kitchen to cook for Sunday lunch. Just in time for Mangia Monday! Ha, ha!
Full disclosure that this is not paella prepared in the traditional sense. It won’t have that crispy bottom that you get in a restaurant, but it comes together pretty quickly as a one-dish style meal that looks impressive and feeds 4 people generously. I found the original recipe for this in a UK Glamour magazine years ago. It was called Simple Prawn and Chorizo Paella and was attributed to their Food Editor, Jo Pratt. I have modified it a bit to suit our family’s tastes, but this is one of those recipes that I have been making for years and it’s always a hit when I do – and the leftovers are pretty tasty as well.
Feel free to adjust what goes into this dish! I have made it without the chorizo and it is still very good, but my family definitely misses it since that is their favorite part. I often sub vegetable broth for the chicken broth if that is what I have on hand. (This time I used two cups of vegetable broth and two cups of chicken broth.) The original recipe didn’t have peas or clams, so you can keep those out, adding a bit more shrimp and/or chorizo to compensate. Or substitute mussels for the clams if you prefer. I have even used chicken and chorizo and that is tasty as well. This is an easy recipe to experiment with. It takes about an hour of time in total, but quite a bit of it is pretty hands off so you can be working on a salad or vegetable side dish – or enjoying a glass of wine while you nibble on some cheese and crackers with your guests. 😉
You definitely want to prep your ingredients first with this dish. First chop your peppers, onions, garlic and chorizo (if you don’t purchase the pre-chopped version like I did. Pour the stock into a medium saucepan and heat on low until warm. (You’ll have to imagine this since I forgot to take a photo.)
Meanwhile, heat oil in a large frying pan or paella pan. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for 2-3 minutes until the onion is beginning to soften. Add the chopped chorizo and red pepper and continue to cook for an additional 5 minutes until the onion is soft and the chorizo has released oil and is starting to brown.
After 2-3 minutes 
Adding pepper and chorizo 
After 5 minutes
Add the rice and stir to combine with the onion, garlic and chorizo until all the rice is coated in oil. Continue to cook for approximately 1 minute.
After 1 minute of cooking
Add the saffron, paprika, and wine. Stir, bring to a boil and cook for 1-2 minutes until wine starts to reduce. Add enough stock to cover the rice. Stir and bring to a simmer. Continue to cook on low simmer for about 12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour in more stock as needed if rice begins to look dry.
Saffron, paprika and wine added –
Cook for 1-2 minutes
Rice covered with broth 
After 12 minutes
Add shrimp, pushing them into the rice. Nestle the cleaned clams in the rice, with the connected part of the clam shell facing down into the rice. (The ones I purchase in Hong Kong are frozen and pre-cleaned. I add them directly from the freezer.) Add a few grinds of black pepper, if desired. (I usually do not add any salt as I find what is in the chorizo and stock is enough.) Add the remaining stock and cover the pan tightly with foil. Leave on low heat and cook on low summer for 10 minutes.
Remove foil and sprinkle the peas all over the paella. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper if desired. Cover again with foil and continue to cook until the rice is tender, the prawns are fully cooked and the clams have opened. Note: If you would like some browning on the bottom, you can up the heat to medium high. (Discard any unopened clams.)
Add peas 
After 5 minutes of cooking
(liquid will continue to absorb into the rice as it sits)
Serve immediately with chopped parsley and lemon wedges.
Simple Seafood Paella
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion chopped about 1 1/2 cups
- 2 cloves garlic (roughly chopped)
- 4 ounces (120 g) chopped chorizo can add up to 7 oz/200 g if desired
- 1 medium red bell pepper (chopped)
- 10.6 ounces (300 g) paella rice
- pinch saffron threads (crushed lightly)
- 1 teaspoon spoked paprika
- 1 cup (237 ml) white wine
- 4 cups (946 ml) chicken, fish or vegetable stock
- 12 ounces (340 g) peeled and deveined shrimp tails on or off
- 1 pound (454 g) small clams in shells cleaned
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 3 tablespoons chopped parsley
- 1 lemon, cut in wedges
Instructions
- Pour stock into a medium saucepan and heat on low until warm.
- Meanwhile, heat oil in a large frying pan or paella pan. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for 2-3 minutes until the onion is beginning to soften. Add the chopped chorizo and red pepper and continue to cook for an additional 5 minutes until the onion is soft and the chorizo has released oil and is starting to brown.
- Add the rice and stir to combine with the onion, garlic and chorizo until all the rice is coated in oil. Continue to cook for approximately 1 minute.
- Add the saffron, paprika, and wine. Bring to a boil and cook for 1-2 minutes until wine starts to reduce. Add enough stock to cover the rice. Stir and bring to a simmer. Continue to cook on low simmer for about 12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour in more stock as needed if rice begins to look dry.
- Add shrimp, pushing them into the rice. Nestle the clams in the rice, with the connected part of the clam shell facing down into the rice. Add a few grinds of black pepper, if desired. (I usually do not add any salt as I find the chorizo is enough.) Add the remaining stock and cover the pan tightly with foil. Leave on low heat and cook on low summer for 10 minutes.
- Remove foil and sprinkle the peas all over the paella. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper if desired. Cover again with foil and continue to cook until the rice is tender, the prawns are fully cooked and the clams have opened. Note: If you would like some browning on the bottom, you can up the heat to medium high. (Discard any unopened clams.)
- Serve immediately with chopped parsley and lemon wedges.