Spanish Seafood Paella with Saffron, Shrimp and Mussels
This is the paella you make when you want to feel like you're on a terrace in Valencia without leaving your kitchen. Saffron-stained rice soaks up a smoky seafood stock, then steams under plump shrimp and mussels until the bottom turns golden and crisp. One wide pan, no stirring, and a socarrat crust worth fighting over.
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Nutrition (per serving)
This is the paella you make when you want to feel like you're on a terrace in Valencia without leaving your kitchen. Saffron-stained rice soaks up a smoky seafood stock, then steams under plump shrimp and mussels until the bottom turns golden and crisp. One wide pan, no stirring, and a socarrat crust worth fighting over.
Bomba rice is the classic choice because it drinks up nearly three times its volume in stock while staying separate and never gloopy, but any short-grain rice will do the job.
Step-by-step instructions
Stir the saffron into the hot stock and set aside to bloom. Warm the olive oil in a wide paella pan or large skillet and soften the onion, red pepper and garlic with a pinch of salt until glossy, about 6 minutes.
Stir in the smoked paprika and grated tomato and cook until the mixture turns jammy and deep red. Tip in the rice and toast it in the sofrito for 2 minutes so every grain glistens.
Pour in the saffron stock, season, and spread the rice into an even layer. Simmer without stirring over medium heat for about 12 minutes, letting the rice drink up the golden broth.
Nestle the shrimp, mussels and peas into the rice, hinge-side down for the mussels. Cover loosely with foil and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until the shrimp turn pink and the mussels pop open.
Turn the heat to high for the last minute to crackle up the socarrat, the prized crust on the bottom. Rest off the heat for 5 minutes, scatter with parsley and serve with lemon wedges.
Paella is meant to be shared straight from the pan, so bring it to the table and let everyone dig for the crispy rice at the bottom. Leftovers reheat beautifully in a hot skillet the next day.
Ingredients
- Large pinch saffron threads (about 20 strands)
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp smoked paprika (pimentón)
- 1 large tomato, grated (skin discarded)
- 1 1/2 cups (300g) Spanish bomba or short-grain paella rice
- 4 cups (1L) hot seafood or chicken stock
- 12 large shell-on shrimp
- 1 lb (450g) mussels, scrubbed and debearded
- 1/2 cup frozen peas
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges
- Handful fresh parsley, chopped
- Salt, to taste
Step-by-Step
- 1
Stir the saffron into the hot stock and set aside to bloom. Warm the olive oil in a wide paella pan or large skillet and soften the onion, red pepper and garlic with a pinch of salt until glossy, about 6 minutes.
- 2
Stir in the smoked paprika and grated tomato and cook until the mixture turns jammy and deep red. Tip in the rice and toast it in the sofrito for 2 minutes so every grain glistens.
- 3
Pour in the saffron stock, season, and spread the rice into an even layer. Simmer without stirring over medium heat for about 12 minutes, letting the rice drink up the golden broth.
- 4
Nestle the shrimp, mussels and peas into the rice, hinge-side down for the mussels. Cover loosely with foil and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until the shrimp turn pink and the mussels pop open.
- 5
Turn the heat to high for the last minute to crackle up the socarrat, the prized crust on the bottom. Rest off the heat for 5 minutes, scatter with parsley and serve with lemon wedges.
Recipe
Spanish Seafood Paella with Saffron, Shrimp and Mussels
Ingredients
- Large pinch saffron threads (about 20 strands)
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp smoked paprika (pimentón)
- 1 large tomato, grated (skin discarded)
- 1 1/2 cups (300g) Spanish bomba or short-grain paella rice
- 4 cups (1L) hot seafood or chicken stock
- 12 large shell-on shrimp
- 1 lb (450g) mussels, scrubbed and debearded
- 1/2 cup frozen peas
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges
- Handful fresh parsley, chopped
- Salt, to taste
Instructions
- 1
Stir the saffron into the hot stock and set aside to bloom. Warm the olive oil in a wide paella pan or large skillet and soften the onion, red pepper and garlic with a pinch of salt until glossy, about 6 minutes.
- 2
Stir in the smoked paprika and grated tomato and cook until the mixture turns jammy and deep red. Tip in the rice and toast it in the sofrito for 2 minutes so every grain glistens.
- 3
Pour in the saffron stock, season, and spread the rice into an even layer. Simmer without stirring over medium heat for about 12 minutes, letting the rice drink up the golden broth.
- 4
Nestle the shrimp, mussels and peas into the rice, hinge-side down for the mussels. Cover loosely with foil and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until the shrimp turn pink and the mussels pop open.
- 5
Turn the heat to high for the last minute to crackle up the socarrat, the prized crust on the bottom. Rest off the heat for 5 minutes, scatter with parsley and serve with lemon wedges.
Nutrition Facts
* The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.