Recipe: The Ultimate Paella

Ingredients:

1. Spice Mix for chicken, recipe follows
2. 1 (3-pound) frying chicken, cut into 10 pieces
3. 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4. 2 Spanish chorizo sausages, thickly sliced
5. Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
6. 1 Spanish onion, diced
7. 4 garlic cloves, crushed
8. Bunch flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped, reserve some for garnish
9. 1 (15-ounce) can whole tomatoes, drained and hand-crushed
10. 4 cups short grain Spanish rice
11. 6 cups water, warm
12. Generous pinch saffron threads
13. 1 dozen littleneck clams, scrubbed
14. 1 pound jumbo shrimp, peeled and de-veined
15. 2 lobster tails
16. 1/2 cup sweet peas, frozen and thawed
17. Lemon wedges, for serving
18. Special equipment:
19. Large paella pan or wide shallow skillet

Spice Mix for chicken:

1. 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
2. 2 teaspoons dried oregano
3. Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions

Special equipment:

1. Rub the spice mix all over the chicken and marinate chicken for 1 hour in the refrigerator.
2. Heat oil in a paella pan over medium-high heat. Saute the chorizo until browned, remove and reserve. Add chicken skin-side down and brown on all sides, turning with tongs.
3. Add salt and freshly ground pepper. Remove from pan and reserve.
4. In the same pan, make a sofrito by sauteing the onions, garlic, and parsley. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes on a medium heat.
5. Then, add tomatoes and cook until the mixture caramelizes a bit and the flavors meld. Fold in the rice and stir-fry to coat the grains.
6. Pour in water and simmer for 10 minutes, gently moving the pan around so the rice cooks evenly and absorbs the liquid.
7. Add chicken, chorizo, and saffron. Add the clams and shrimp, tucking them into the rice. The shrimp will take about 8 minutes to cook. Give the paella a good shake and let it simmer, without stirring, until the rice is al dente, for about 15 minutes.
8. During the last 5 minutes of cooking, when the rice is filling the pan, add the lobster tails. When the paella is cooked and the rice looks fluffy and moist, turn the heat up for 40 seconds until you can smell the rice toast at the bottom, then it’s perfect.

Cook’s note: The ideal paella has a toasted rice bottom called socarrat.

Remove from heat and rest for 5 minutes. Garnish with peas, parsley and lemon wedges.

Spice Mix for chicken:

1. Combine ingredients in a small bowl. Rub the spice mixture all over the chicken; marinate for 1 hour, covered.

Also Read: Recipe: Simple Chicken Goan Curry