Rebecca’s Winning Seafood Paella

This recipe won the 2nd-place ribbon at the Fallas festival in Valencia described here.

Ingredients

• ½ lb monkfish or other white fish, cubed into 1″ pieces
• 1/2 lb calamari, chopped into rings
• 1/2 lb shrimp, preferably with shells intact
• 4-6 shrimp, with heads and shells intact
• 1 lb fresh mussels, with scrubbed shells
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 large clove garlic, diced
• 1 large tomato, cored and chopped
• 1/3-cup olive oil
• 2 pinches saffron
• 2 1/2 cups short-grained rice, preferably Arborio or Spanish
• 5-6 cups seafood or chicken broth (water is ok but provides less flavor)
• salt to taste
• 2 lemons, cut into quarters for garnish

Use an 18-inch paella pan on a BBQ grill or gas burner (high heat).

Preparation

1. Heat oil in pan and sauté the onion and garlic for 3 minutes.
2. Add the rice and stir, slightly browning the rice, then add the monkfish, tomato, and saffron.
3. Pour in the broth, and then stir in calamari and most of the shrimp, reserving the ones with the heads on and four headless ones.
4. Stir once and taste for salt, then allow to simmer until rice is almost done.
5. Place remaining shrimp in a pattern on top of the rice.
6. Add some water if the rice is not producing steam.
7. Place mussels decoratively around the pan’s edge.
8. Once shrimp are pink and the mussels have opened, remove from heat and garnish with lemon quarters. Serve hot. Serves four.

You can double or quadruple the recipe for larger parties, but you will need a larger pan.

-Rebecca Taggart