Paella: Mix seafood in with beef/pork or not?

[dcgator]

Paella valenciana does not call for any seafood.
Paella de mariscos is made with just sea food (clams, squid, shrimp).
Some recipes mix both in, Spanish folk I know say that's a no-no.

Thoughts?

 

[Rocklobster]

I have mixed both many times. That's what I love about Paella. Normally I use pork sausage of some kind, chichen breast and I only usually use shellfish like shrimp and sometimes mussels and clams, throwing them in last minute.

 

[Bolas De Fraile]

This is my fav, I use cubed rabbit instead of chicken.

 

[Andy M.]

The issue is that the meats take longer to cook so if you want both, you should add the shrimp later in the process so it won't overcook.

 

[taxlady]

The first time I had paella was on vacation in Spain. It had both seafood and meat. It was wonderful.

 

[Lisa Mac]

I normally use a combination of seafood (mussels, calamari tentacles and rings, prawns), chicken and chorizo sausage. It works well and everyone seems to like it.

I like the idea of using rabbit. I believe snails are also used but not with seafood, with chicken.

L

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

My recipe uses spicy pork sausage, chicken and chopped clams in juice (more or less a seasoning for the rice). Shrimp would be good with that too. I don't claim my recipe is any kind of traditional or authentic dish.

 

[Bolas De Fraile]

I normally use a combination of seafood (mussels, calamari tentacles and rings, prawns), chicken and chorizo sausage. It works well and everyone seems to like it.

I like the idea of using rabbit. I believe snails are also used but not with seafood, with chicken.

L

I add snails to this Original Paella Recipe

 

[Margi Cintrano]

The Iberian Peninsula´s 8 Provinces of Rice Dishes

Good evening,

There are 8 provinces in Spain on the eastern coast and thus, thousands of paella or rice recipes had been created depending on region, topography and rice production zone.

The coast usually prepares only fish, shellfish and seafood paellas. The mountains or hill country ( la sierra ) employs game ( quail, pheasant and rabbit etcetra ) and 3 types of broad bean and fava bean type legumes indigenious to Valencia.

Sausages and snails are other ingredients used in Sierra paellas. Then there is a FIDUA which is a noodle paella and common in Tarragona, Barcelona and the rest of Costa Brava, Catalonia. In Murcia and Almeria, they use a different rice grain.

Those in Spain that are mixed; shellfish with chicken or pork are usually considered touristy.

Traditional paellas, are not mixed.

Please also note, the rice is key. There are several type of paellas using arborio type Valencian rice. There is a Arroz Banda which is dry and served in 2 courses and then there is Caldoso which is like a Boullaisbaisse and has a stock of shellfish. Then there is Valenican.

So, whatever one likes, is how to go.

Have a nice wkend.
Margi.

 

[dcgator]

I am told the flavors do not mix well. Seafood and rabbit+chicken+snails seem to have opposite tastes and do not complement. What do I know. I prefer the non seafood version, valenciana (with conejo, gallina o pollo y caracoles), but it depends on your preference. It is supposed to be a poor man's dish, that collected all that was available to the farmer and put it into a big padella (paella) to cook... Kindof the spaghetti of the Spaniards... My 2 Cents...

 

[Andy M.]

I am told the flavors do not mix well. Seafood and rabbit+chicken+snails seem to have opposite tastes and do not complement. What do I know. I prefer the non seafood version, valenciana (with conejo, gallina o pollo y caracoles), but it depends on your preference. It is supposed to be a poor man's dish, that collected all that was available to the farmer and put it into a big padella (paella) to cook... Kindof the spaghetti of the Spaniards... My 2 Cents...

Recipes often mix the two. Try it and see if you like it. If not, you an change it next time.

 

[GLC]

Supposedly, there's a reliable account from about 1900 of paella featuring water vole as the meat.

After that, I don't anyone can really justify criticizing your choices.

(If you remember Wind In the Willows, this would be the original "water rat" for which the alternate term was "ratty." So Mole was using the right nickname.)

 

[buckytom]

in the spanish/portugese restaurants of newark, n.j. (which has a large esp/por immigrant population), paella valenciana is the paella that consists of mixed meats and shellfish. paella marinera/mariscos is just seafood.

after reading margi's post, i figure that this might be an americanization, but from my experience, paella valenciana is a mix of chicken, spanish sausage, and shellfish.


some examples: Don Pepe Restaurant - (973) 623-4662 - New Jersey restaurants, Newark New Jersey Weddings, Parties, banquets, Showers, Meetings...

Spain Restaurant - Dinner Menu

Chateau of Spain Restaurant Ironbound Newark NJ Area

Adega Grill - Newark, NJ Restaurants - NJ Parties, banquets, Showers, Meetings...

Spanish Tavern Newark NJ

they all show valenciana as chicken, sausage, anmd shellfish.

i'll have to do some research to see if it's just this way in america. time to break out my spanish dictionary for googling.

 

[TATTRAT]

personally, I couldn't imagine it without some nice Chorizo, traditional or not, something about the nice, semi-spicy sausage pairs wonderfully with the Chicken, shrimp, mussels/clams.

AndyM hit the nail on the head though, if you are doing meat and seafood, things should be staged according to the cooking time.

 

[buckytom]

ok, after some quick research, it appears that the original paella recipe was just meats (chicken, rabbit, sausage) and veggies with rice, with snails added when available. it was invented in the fields and mountains near valencia, hence the common term paella valenciana.

the dish is a lot like chili in the united states where it was a worker's dish, so whatever ingredients that were available cheaply were added. the closer you got to the coast, the more likely it would be made out of fish and seafood.

somewhere along the line, people found they liked a mixture of meats and seafoods, so paella mixta was created and is the most popular version of paella worldwide.

in order to be more accurate, one would then order paella mariscos for all fish/shellfish, paella mixta for meats and fish, or paella vegetal for veggie paella.

there's also arroz negro which uses squid ink to turn the rice black.


man, i need some paella.

 

[Rocklobster]

To me, it's the one time you can eat everything in one dish. And drink wine while doing it. I love Paella.

 

[Bolas De Fraile]

To me, it's the one time you can eat everything in one dish. And drink wine while doing it. I love Paella.

Rock mate try this Fideua Fideuà Valenciana Recipe

 

[Bolas De Fraile]

ok, after some quick research, it appears that the original paella recipe was just meats (chicken, rabbit, sausage) and veggies with rice, with snails added when available. it was invented in the fields and mountains near valencia, hence the common term paella valenciana.

the dish is a lot like chili in the united states where it was a worker's dish, so whatever ingredients that were available cheaply were added. the closer you got to the coast, the more likely it would be made out of fish and seafood.

somewhere along the line, people found they liked a mixture of meats and seafoods, so paella mixta was created and is the most popular version of paella worldwide.

in order to be more accurate, one would then order paella mariscos for all fish/shellfish, paella mixta for meats and fish, or paella vegetal for veggie paella.

there's also arroz negro which uses squid ink to turn the rice black.


man, i need some paella.

Tom mate you have it in a nutshell, talking of Spanish nuts, some people make a pilgrimage to Santiago mine is to here Jijona Spain

 

[Addie]

personally, I couldn't imagine it without some nice Chorizo, traditional or not, something about the nice, semi-spicy sausage pairs wonderfully with the Chicken, shrimp, mussels/clams.

AndyM hit the nail on the head though, if you are doing meat and seafood, things should be staged according to the cooking time.

America's version of surf and turf paella.

 

[Margi Cintrano]

@ DC gator: The shepherds in Mountains created

DC GATOR,

Good Morning.

Valencia has a " la sierra " hill country and thus, the shepherds of the interior regions of Levante, had created this dish, to feed all the shepherds and farmers and their families.

One can mix shellfish with rabbit, pheasant, quail and chicken. This is called " MAR Y MONTAÑA " = the sea and the mountain Paella.

Also, note that this traditional dish, which dates back to antiquity also employs: lima beans, fava or broad beans and butter beans ! and sausage, snails ... and of course saffron and arborio rice, as Valencia produces this short grain rice 33km south of The city of Valencia.

This dish is normally celebrated at the SUECA FESTIVAL which is a small town in Rice Production country in the hill country. Sueca is translated to Sweden, however, it has nothing to do with Sweden. It is a Valencian village where they hold a huge contest, as to who can make the best paella ...

The keys are: to prepare this dish for family and friends. It is rare that one makes a paella for two ! It is a the culture to share this dish.

I can post the traditional recipe for Mountain Paella, if you wish.

Personally, I prefer to Fideua, the Barcelona Noodle type with shellfish and the Caldoso, which is a shellfish paella in Boulaibaisse ... Rather than the drier version of rice ...

Let me know, and when I arrive in Madrid I shall post it ---

Kind regards,
Margi.