Spanish seafood paella

Seafood paella with prawns, black mussels, squid and blue swimmer crab

Seafood paella with prawns, black mussels, squid and blue swimmer crab

Mysaucepan is a fervent fan of paella to the extent she bought a huge paella pan to cook this Spanish classic. I, on the other hand, is lukewarm with paella as I have yet to experience a paella that has really knocked me off my socks.

You see, Mysaucepan bought the paella pan more than 2 years ago and it has been sitting in our kitchen ever since. My aversion to paella means she has not attempted to use the pan until we saw some really fresh seafood and I reluctantly agreed that we do a seafood paella.

So tonight, we invite our dear friends Eva and Fiona to be our unsuspecting scapegoats to ensure this huge paella is given at least some justice in the event something goes awry. I am a little apprehensive as the pan is huge and wonder if the heat will be distributed evenly from the cooktop which would be concentrated in the centre of the pan.

2007 Lucindale cabernet sauvignon

2007 Lucindale cabernet sauvignon

As I am not cooking tonight, I sip on a Lucindale cabernet sauvignon from Limestone Coast in South Australia as I leave Mysaucepan to prepare the paella.

Beauty and the beast - Fiona and my Port Jackson fig bonsai on Garuda wood carving

Beauty and the beast - Fiona and a Port Jackson fig bonsai on Garuda wood carving

Our friends arrive and we share a few drinks before dinner.

Ingredients for paella

Ingredients for paella

Peeled and trimmed banana prawns

Peeled and trimmed banana prawns

It is important to use the freshest seafood that you can find for this recipe.

Tasmanian black mussels

Tasmanian black mussels

Baby green peas

Baby green peas

I am not a fan of mussels but if I have to choose, I prefer the black Tasmanian mussels over the green mussels. Although a little more expensive, the black mussels are sweeter and more tender in texture. Green peas dotted on a dish is always beautiful and best of all they are sweet and good for you.

Searing Chorizo sausages on paella pan

Searing Chorizo sausages on paella pan

Only a little EVOO is required when searing the chorizo because it lets out a fair amount of flavoursome oil which can be used to sautee the onions.

Our dear friend Fiona

Our dear friend Fiona

Fiona is affable with a wonderful personality, her smile infectious and her wit a must to liven up any party!

Seafood and arborio rice simmering in paella pan

Seafood and arborio rice simmering in paella pan

The paella pan is pretty big and Mysaucepan is finding the food is cooking faster in the middle where there is more heat concentration from the cooktop burner. We would need to invest in a flat cast iron plate to rest the paella pan in order for the food to cook more evenly especially around the edges.

Seafood and arborio rice simmering in paella pan

Seafood and arborio rice simmering in paella pan

Our guests brings a 2005 Saltram shiraz which is a  beautiful drop on its own but equally elegant with the paella too.

Lindale cabernet sauvignon and Saltram shiraz

Lindale cabernet sauvignon and Saltram shiraz

The seafood paella looks pretty delicious.

Seafood paella with prawns, black mussels, squid and blue swimmer crab

Seafood paella with prawns, black mussels, squid and blue swimmer crab

Mysaucepan has divided the seafood evenly so that each spoonful gets its fair share of crab, mussels, prawns, squid and of course the rice which has soaked up all the flavours of the stock and blended vegetables. The sides of the pan is laden with harden crusty bits of socarrat which added some texture to the dish.

Seafood paella with prawns, black mussels, squid and blue swimmer crab

Seafood paella with prawns, black mussels, squid and blue swimmer crab

Mission accomplished - a small portion of paella left over for lunch tomorrow

Mission accomplished - a small portion of paella left over for lunch tomorrow

Thank you Mysaucepan, your Spanish paella is quite delicious and it has somewhat changed my perception about this dish although I’m still not a fan of mussels, whether black or green.

Seafood paella with prawns, black mussels, squid and blue swimmer crab

Seafood paella with prawns, black mussels, squid and blue swimmer crab

So dear readers, what is your favourite Spanish food?

Click on any of the photos to view ChopinandMysaucepan‘s favourite recipes or simply click here

 

Saltram Wines
Nurooitpa road, Angaston
South Australia 5353
Tel: +61 8 8561 0200

Lucindale Wines
Winery Address
Riddoch Highway, Coonawarra
South Australia, 5263
Tel: +618 8736 3233

Enter your email address:  .
Delivered by FeedBurner 

comments
This entry was posted in Recipes, Seafood and tagged , . Bookmark the permalink.

23 Responses to Spanish seafood paella

  1. Glad to hear it worked! They covered paella recently in the Masterchef masterclass. Perhaps you got further inspiration from there.

  2. Photos are so amazing!

  3. It’s really paella season on blogs this week! This is the fourth paella I’ve seen today! 😛

  4. A great effort with the paella. I’ve cooked it once, and I don’t think I’ll attempt it again. I do like a good paella, but they are hard to come by.

  5. Jen says:

    The best paella I’ve had were home-made ones made by a family friend who used to live in Spain. It’s one of my favourite dishes. But it is hard to find a good one in restaurants, they tend to be stingy on saffron and heavy on tomato.

  6. yum the paella looks delish!

  7. I LOVE paella. Mysaucepan did a wonderful job making this gorgeous paella! It’s very classic way to cook sausage and seafood together, I believe. I wish I was invited to eat the delicious paella! 😉

  8. I adore a good paella & have my own trusty paella dish that gets a fair share of workouts, love the seafood paella. Great job (wine choices look good too)

  9. Juliana says:

    Paella is my favorite Spanish dish, but have to admit that never made at home…your look very inviting. The pictures are great!
    Hope you are having a great week :-)

  10. I have concerns about paella at home… no paella pan, heat distribution and all. The pack of Spanish rice in the pantry just stares forlornly at me…

  11. Fiona says:

    I was honoured to spend a lovely evening with Chopin and Mysaucepan. Aside from being marvellous hosts as they usually are, Mysaucepan cooked up a storm (watched over nervously by Chopin :) ) as the amazing smells of cooked seafood & chorizo eminated and filled the home with an air reminiscent of a Mediterranean restaurant. That evening, my tastebuds were spoilt and serenaded by an amazing dish that would have made any Spanish mama proud. Little did Chopin or Mysaucepan know that Paella was one of my favourite Spanish dishes… my peception has still not changed.
    Here’s to a wonderful friendship! Thank you for a precious and wonderful evening.

    • Fiona says:

      Hmm.. I see I am unable ot edit my own comments..
      What I meant to say is that Paella IS one of my favourite Spanish Mysaucepan, don’t panic, I will have your Paella again anyday!

  12. Carolyn Jung says:

    Man, I need to come to your house for dinner. This looks fantastic.
    Would you believe one of my fave Spanish dishes is the simplest one of all — grilled bread, rubbed first with garlic, then with a cut tomato until all the juices soak into the crevices. It has such incredible flavor, especially with summer, picked-at-their-peak tomatoes.

  13. Manu says:

    I agree good paella is hard to find… even in restaurants in Spain!!! This one looks delicious! like home-made… I have made it a couple of times, but I need to get a proper paella pan and a heat distributor device!!! I am not a big seafood fan myself so whenever I eat paella I go for the vegetable one or the mixed paella… I love all Spanish food really… especially tapas made with potatoes, serrano or iberico! <3

  14. Manu says:

    Oops, I obviously meant “I like home-made… I have made it a couple of times…”

  15. Wow, nice paella! Love it when it’s well done :-)

  16. JasmyneTea says:

    Stephen LOVES paella, but I, like you Chopin, am not so great a fan because I have yet to try one that blew me away. Here’s hoping I do! Mysaucepan’s looks very inviting.

  17. heidi says:

    That looks delicious- I only wish I could have smelled (and tasted) it! I have feasted on it with my eyes, however, and thank you very kindly for sharing so many pictures along with the recipe! Thanks also for the wine recommendations!
    I love any rice dish that is heavy on the saffron.

  18. Sophia Lee says:

    Can you believe I have yet to try paella! Not a real one, anyway. I’m not a big fan of mussels either, but I would gladly eat this for the lovely rice! Esp the crispy bits.

  19. vivienne says:

    oh my gosh….this paella looks soooo good! now i wish i have a paella pan (prob doesnt work with normal pans aye?).

    my fav spanish food is…paella haha. and churros!

  20. LeQuan says:

    My gosh, that paella looks absolutely mouth watering delicious. All the seafood you used is making grow jealous with envy. I love paella androids definitely done a terrific job with this one. Wonderful recipe!

  21. I like paella because I’m very fond of seafood! 😀 The best Spanish food I’ve eaten so far was at a tapas bar where we ordered several small dishes to share over a bottle of good wine. I especially remember the lemon chicken and ham-wrapped figs, they were fantastic!

  22. This really looks delicious. I have my fresh homegrown saffron to use and might have to put it in a Paella now,yumm…

Comments are closed.