Mediterranean Seafood Paella
Saffron-infused rice with shrimp, mussels, and clams creates an elegant one-pan dinner that looks restaurant-quality but comes together in under 45 minutes.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Servings
- 4
- Calories
- 625
- Protein
- 38g
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, white or yellow
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 cups short-grain rice (bomba or paella)
- 4.5 cups chicken or seafood stock
- ¼ teaspoon saffron threads
- 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1.5 pounds mussels and clams, cleaned
- 1 each fresh lemon, zested and juiced, plus fresh herbs (parsley or dill, chopped)
Instructions
- 1
Pour 0.25 teaspoon saffron threads into a small cup and pour 0.5 cup hot water over them; let sit undisturbed for 5 minutes until the water turns golden.
- 2
Cut the onion in half lengthwise from root to tip, then place each half cut-side down and slice crosswise into thin half-moon pieces, about 1/4 inch thick.
- 3
Mince the garlic until the pieces are smaller than a grain of rice—about the size of pencil-tip dots.
- 4
Place a 12-inch paella pan or wide shallow skillet over medium heat and pour in 3 tablespoons olive oil.
- 5
Once the oil shimmers and slides quickly when you tilt the pan, add the sliced onion and cook, stirring once every 30 seconds, until the pieces turn translucent and soft, about 4 minutes.
- 6
Add the minced garlic and stir constantly for 30 seconds until it smells strongly fragrant and turns light golden—this releases its flavor into the oil.
- 7
Pour in 2 cups short-grain rice and stir constantly with a wooden spoon for 90 seconds, coating every grain in the oil; the rice will look slightly translucent at the edges.
- 8
Pour in 4.5 cups stock and the saffron water (including steeped threads), then stir once to combine; do not stir again from this point forward.
- 9
Increase heat to medium-high and let the rice and liquid simmer vigorously (you should hear steady bubbling) without stirring for 18–20 minutes, until most liquid is absorbed and the surface looks mostly dry.
- 10
Arrange the peeled shrimp on top of the rice in a single layer, pressing them gently into the rice so they nestle slightly.
- 11
Nestle the cleaned mussels and clams into the rice around the shrimp, hinge-side down, so they rest on the rice rather than falling through.
- 12
Reduce heat to medium-low and cover the pan tightly with a lid or large sheet of aluminum foil; cook for 8 minutes without lifting the cover.
- 13
Lift the cover and check that the shrimp are opaque pink throughout, the mussel and clam shells have opened at least halfway, and no liquid pools on the surface.
- 14
If any mussels or clams remain fully closed, cover again and cook for 2 more minutes, then discard any that still won't open.
- 15
Remove the pan from heat and let it rest, covered, for 4 minutes so the rice absorbs any remaining moisture and flavors settle.
- 16
Uncover the paella and drizzle the fresh lemon juice evenly over the surface.
- 17
Scatter the lemon zest and chopped fresh herbs in a thin layer across the top, distributing them evenly so each bite includes flecks of color.
Tools you’ll need
- 12-inch paella pan or wide shallow skillet with lid
- wooden spoon
- small cup
- cutting board
- chef's knife
- microplane zester (or vegetable peeler for zest)
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