Most Authentic Seafood and Chorizo Paella

I have two large paella pans.  To really get full my husband and I tried to put more rice in one pan so we have more paella and eat this as a full dinner, no sides, no other dishes.  But, when we did that, the layer of rice was too think, the rice texture was too soft and you didn't get a good socarrat.  So, I reduced the amount of rice but then we were still hungry! So, now I make it in two pans and we have a feast. If you are having this and other tapas, just make one recipe.  If you are making this as your main dinner for 2 hungry people, double the recipe and make 2 pans. 

Ingredients:

1/2 Spanish onion
3 cloves of garlic, minced (put two together for the paella and 1 for the seafood)
2 TBSP sofrito
1/2 (14oz) can of diced tomatoes
1/2 can of chopped clams
1/2 link of dried Spanish Chorizo, casing removed and cut into half moons
3 cups of seafood stock (use homemade if you can), plus an extra ladle for your seafood
1 1/2 cups of Matiz Paella Rice (you can buy this on Amazon)
2 TBSP butter
1 pound mussels
6 clams (I substituted 2 small lobster tails today because they didn't have clams)
1/2 pound Jumbo shrimp

1/4 pound of bay scallops

Emeril Essence Seasoning

S+P

Paprika

Saffron

Olive oil

Directions: 

1. Prepare everything in small dishes in order so you can add them as you go.  1 bowl for onions. 1 bowl for sofrito and garlic. 1 bowl for tomatoes and clams. 1 bowl for chorizo. 1 bowl for rice. 1 bowl for seafood. 

2. To your bowl with seafood, season with Emeril Essence (or other seasoning blend you like), add 2 TBSP butter and 1 TBSP garlic. Keep in the fridge until ready. 

3. Warm your stock on the stove in the back. Better results with warm stock opposed to cold. 

4. Heat a large paella pan over medium high heat. Add about 3 turns of olive oil. 

5. Add onion and a little S+P.  Saute about 5 minutes or until onion is just translucent. Stir often. 

6. Add the garlic and sofrito. Saute for 2 minutes. 

7. Add the chorizo and brown for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

8. Add your tomatoes and clams. Simmer until most of the liquid is evaporated - about 3-4 minutes. 

9. Add 2 pinches of Saffron. Add more about 1 tsp of Essence, 1 tsp of paprika, and salt and pepper. 

10. Add in your broth, stir and bring to a simmer. 

11. Add in your rice. Stir to evenly distribute. Now NO MORE STIRRING! Simmer your paella on medium for 10 minutes. 

12. Preheat oven to 425. 

13. After 10 minutes on the stove and you see the rice popping out of the stock, add your paella pan to the oven for 10 minutes. You shouldn't see anymore liquid bubbling in the paella. If you do, keep it a few minutes longer. 

14. When the paella has 5 minutes left in the oven, heat a large saute pan on another burner on the stove. Make sure to use a pan with a lid. Add seafood along with the butter, garlic and seasonings you put in the bowl and add a small ladle of stock so you have some liquid. Toss and cover with a lid. 

15. Cook seafood on high for 5 minutes, shaking the pan a few times here and there. 

16. When the paella is ready to take out of the oven, place it on the stove over medium high heat. You are trying to get the socarrat now on the bottom of the pan - that crispy, almost burnt rice. 

17. While that's working, quickly toss the seafood one more time. Since the mussels cook the quickest, start by pulling those out and placing them on top of the paella. It's ok to nestle them in the rice a bit but act quick. Then add the shrimp. Then the clams.  This all shouldn't take you more than 2 minutes and that's about all you need to get that socarrat.  (Note: Clams may take a little longer to cook depending on the size. If clams are still not open, cover again, shake and heat over high heat for another minute or two.)

18. Optional: garnish with lemon wedge, parsley and hot sauce. 

I cook the seafood separately because I don't want it to overcook. Sometimes the mussels take longer to open and then you end up overcooking your rice. Sometimes your shrimp are a little bigger or a little smaller and you can easily adjust if you do it separately.  To the seafood pan, you could always add the clams first, then after a minute, add the shrimp, then after another minute add the mussels. You just have more control over it in a separate pan and you will really appreciate brilliantly cooked seafood.

If you are making two pans, I set everything up still in separate bowls all across the counter (this is what a dishwasher is for).  Once the first pan goes into the oven, you could start the second pan. If you're not in a hurry, just enjoy the first pan and relax and when you're ready for more fire up the second pan. It doesn't take long since you have everything prepped! 

Wine pairing: 

Vina Valoria
Rioja Reserve
2014

This wine was ready to drink and had just a hint of sweet fruit that paired well with the flavor and spice of this paella. 

For a slightly smaller version of this dish, I used only a cup of rice (maybe even slightly less) and 1 3/4 cups of stock. I used all of the other ingredients for the rice the same as above. For the seafood, I had 6 clams, 5 shrimp, 1 lobster tail, and 10 small bay scallops.  After your paella simmers on the stove for 10 minutes. Add the lobster, shrimp, scallops around the pan and push into the rice a bit. Put into the 425 degree oven for 12 minutes. While that's cooking, steam clams in butter, garlic and stock for 6-7 minutes or until open. When paella has been in the oven for 12 minutes, remove it and place over high flame to get soccarat. While it's heating up, add your clams around the pan. When you smell the soccarat, turn off the heat (and you shouldn't see anymore liquid bubbling). Let rest for 5 minutes before eating.