Paella Valenciana
A classic Spanish one-pan rice dish with saffron, seafood, and bell peppers. Golden, fragrant, and ready in under 50 minutes with minimal fuss.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Servings
- 4
- Calories
- 485
- Protein
- 32g
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion, yellow or white
- 1 whole bell pepper, red
- 3 whole garlic cloves
- 1.5 cups short-grain rice (bomba or arborio)
- 3.5 cups chicken or seafood stock
- ½ teaspoon saffron threads
- ½ pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- ½ pound white fish fillet (cod or halibut), cut into bite-sized chunks
Instructions
- 1
Cut the onion lengthwise from root tip to root tip, then slice crosswise into half-rings about 1/4 inch thick, about the width of a pencil eraser.
- 2
Remove the stem and white ribs from inside the bell pepper, then slice the pepper lengthwise into 1/4-inch-wide strips.
- 3
Mince the garlic cloves until the pieces are smaller than a grain of rice — about the size of pencil-tip dots.
- 4
Pour the stock into a small pot, add the saffron threads, and place the pot on medium heat until steaming gently, about 5 minutes; keep it warm.
- 5
Place a 14-inch paella pan or large shallow skillet on medium-high heat and pour in the olive oil; wait until the oil shimmers and slides quickly when you tilt the pan, about 90 seconds.
- 6
Add the onion slices and bell pepper strips to the hot oil and stir constantly with a wooden spoon until the onion turns translucent and the pepper softens, about 4 minutes.
- 7
Add the minced garlic and stir constantly for 30 seconds until the pan smells strongly of garlic — do not let it brown.
- 8
Pour the rice into the pan and stir constantly with the wooden spoon for 2 minutes until the grains are coated with oil and look slightly opaque.
- 9
Pour the warm saffron stock into the pan and stir once; do not stir again after this point, as the rice needs to develop the crispy bottom layer called socarrat.
- 10
Reduce the heat to medium and let the rice simmer undisturbed for 18 minutes; the liquid will gradually disappear and you will hear a gentle sizzle.
- 11
Scatter the shrimp and fish chunks evenly over the rice surface in a single layer, pushing them down gently so they sit partially in the rice.
- 12
Continue cooking over medium heat without stirring for 8 minutes until the shrimp turns opaque pink, the fish flakes when pressed with a fork, and the rice grains are tender.
- 13
Increase the heat to medium-high for 30 seconds to 1 minute to hear a gentle crackling sound from the pan bottom — this is the desirable crispy rice layer (socarrat).
- 14
Remove the pan from the heat and let it rest undisturbed for 3 minutes; this allows the rice to firm up slightly.
Tools you’ll need
- 14-inch paella pan or large shallow skillet
- small pot
- wooden spoon
- cutting board
- chef's knife
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