wufflebunny
Assistant Cook
- Joined
- Jan 17, 2007
- Messages
- 3
I love eating paella but here in Sydney restaurants most chefs don't want to make it for you unless you order at least 2 servings (and alas, my partner is allergic to seafood!). So a few weeks ago I decided to try making my own, and it tasted absolutely amazing (and was surprisingly easy). Here is my recipe. This might not be strictly traditional ingredients, but this is what I had in the pantry at the time, and it was fantastic so there ;P
Feeds 3 (or 2 very hungry people)
(all the seafood is raw btw)
2 whole swimmer crabs
15 or so black/green mussels
a handful of jumbo prawns
a handful scallops
1 very fresh fish fillet, sliced into pieces
2 cups arborio rice
1/2 head of garlic, minced
1/2 cup white or rose wine
2 very ripe vine ripened tomatoes, roughly diced
a slosh of brandy
ketchup
1 cup frozen peas and corn/or other vegetables, thawed and drained well
1 cup baby spinach leaves
1 onion, finely chopped
olive oil
salt and pepper
a few drops lemon juice
2 cups vegetable stock
1/2 cup boiling water
(a pinch of saffron dissolved in warm water)
Scrub mussels well and devein prawns. Set heat to medium then in large pan add 1/2 of your minced garlic, some olive oil and mussels. Discard crab shell (making sure you reserve coral and juices to tip in pan), then chop crab in quarters and add to pan also. After a minute add your prawns, slosh of wine and lemon juice. Once the mussels start to open and the crab and prawns are tinged red, add the scallops and fish and then heat til almost cooked. Remove seafood from the pan to a bowl and keep warm.
In the same pan, add a little more olive oil, turn up the heat a little and add the remainder of the garlic and the chopped onion (and saffron + water if using). Fry til softened and then add tomatoes and a dribble of ketchup. This is also the time to add chilli sauce or tabasco if you want a bit of heat. Heat til the tomato breaks down and mixture is a little syrupy, then add the 2 cups of rice. Stir fry the rice around til the grains are coated (and flavored) with the tomato mix, after about 1 - 2 minutes the grains should start to turn translucent. At that point, add in 2 cups of vegetable stock, 1/2 cup of boiling water and 1/2 cup of wine, and a slosh of brandy to taste. Then it's just a matter of stirring the rice around so it doesn't settle and burn on the bottom of the pan, and waiting for it to cook. You will know when the rice is ready, as all the liquid in the pan would be almost gone (about 15 minutes). When this happens, do a taste test to make sure it's actually cooked (if it isn't, just add some more water to cover the rice again), and add in your vegetables, and spinach, then stir til spinach is wilted. Lastly, add in your seafood to warm it back through, season with salt and pepper as needed and serve immediately.
Feeds 3 (or 2 very hungry people)
(all the seafood is raw btw)
2 whole swimmer crabs
15 or so black/green mussels
a handful of jumbo prawns
a handful scallops
1 very fresh fish fillet, sliced into pieces
2 cups arborio rice
1/2 head of garlic, minced
1/2 cup white or rose wine
2 very ripe vine ripened tomatoes, roughly diced
a slosh of brandy
ketchup
1 cup frozen peas and corn/or other vegetables, thawed and drained well
1 cup baby spinach leaves
1 onion, finely chopped
olive oil
salt and pepper
a few drops lemon juice
2 cups vegetable stock
1/2 cup boiling water
(a pinch of saffron dissolved in warm water)
Scrub mussels well and devein prawns. Set heat to medium then in large pan add 1/2 of your minced garlic, some olive oil and mussels. Discard crab shell (making sure you reserve coral and juices to tip in pan), then chop crab in quarters and add to pan also. After a minute add your prawns, slosh of wine and lemon juice. Once the mussels start to open and the crab and prawns are tinged red, add the scallops and fish and then heat til almost cooked. Remove seafood from the pan to a bowl and keep warm.
In the same pan, add a little more olive oil, turn up the heat a little and add the remainder of the garlic and the chopped onion (and saffron + water if using). Fry til softened and then add tomatoes and a dribble of ketchup. This is also the time to add chilli sauce or tabasco if you want a bit of heat. Heat til the tomato breaks down and mixture is a little syrupy, then add the 2 cups of rice. Stir fry the rice around til the grains are coated (and flavored) with the tomato mix, after about 1 - 2 minutes the grains should start to turn translucent. At that point, add in 2 cups of vegetable stock, 1/2 cup of boiling water and 1/2 cup of wine, and a slosh of brandy to taste. Then it's just a matter of stirring the rice around so it doesn't settle and burn on the bottom of the pan, and waiting for it to cook. You will know when the rice is ready, as all the liquid in the pan would be almost gone (about 15 minutes). When this happens, do a taste test to make sure it's actually cooked (if it isn't, just add some more water to cover the rice again), and add in your vegetables, and spinach, then stir til spinach is wilted. Lastly, add in your seafood to warm it back through, season with salt and pepper as needed and serve immediately.
