[?] Subscribe To This Site

Mixed paella recipe with easy-to-find ingredients

This paella recipe is a delicious and accessible version of this famous Valencian dish. Below I show you step-by-step my own way of cooking paella.

I am sure it's one that will please my international gourmet-readers. Besides, the preparation is straightforward enough so as not to scare novice paella cooks.

This paella recipe combines tradition and innovation. It contains seafood, meat and vegetables, but all in moderate amounts.

This is a general rule for cooking paella: Don't bury the rice in huge amounts of other ingredients. Paella is above all a rice dish.

If you have the conditions to cook this paella recipe outdoors, over an open fire, as it's done traditionally, that's great. But if you don't, don't give up, please, cook it in your kitchen on a gas burner. Use a gas diffuser if your gas burner is too small.

What you should try to get is a traditional paella pan. They are inexpensive and they will help you a lot to cook a real paella, not just any rice dish. Paella pans are now available online, so it's easy to buy one, no matter where you live in the world. As a last resort, use the widest and shallowest pan you have.

Enough said. Are you ready for this Mediterranean diet delight?

Ingredients for this paella recipe

Serves 4 as main course

2 cups (400 g) rice – use short, round-grain rice
8 tablespoons olive oil
7 ounces (200 g) pork spareribs – cut into small serving pieces
7 ounces (200 g) rabbit – cut into small serving pieces
4 prawns
4 large shrimps
8 mussels – cleaned
7 ounces (200 g) squid – cleaned and cut into rings
2 small ripe tomatoes – peeled and finely chopped
1 small onion – peeled and finely chopped
½ cup (100 g) sweet peas
8 threads saffron
4 cups boiling water
Salt

Paella recipe preparation method

Preparation time: about 30 minutes.
Cooking time: about 35 minutes.

Season the spareribs and the rabbit pieces with a little salt.

Heat the olive oil in a paella pan. Add the spareribs and the rabbit and brown them. Remove and set aside.

Add the prawns and shrimps to the same paella pan, and fry them briefly. Remove and set aside.

Add the chopped onion to the same paella pan, fry for a few minutes, and add the chopped tomato. Cook for at least 10 to 12 minutes to allow this sofregit to caramelize. The paella recipe will be more delicious.

When the onion and tomato are done, add the squid rings, and fry until they have lost all water.

Now, add the rabbit, spareribs, and the sweet peas. Stir in the rice, and distribute evenly over the bottom of the paella pan with a wooden spoon.

Add the boiling water, the saffron and salt to taste. Stir briefly. From now on you shouldn't stir the paella any more, not once. If you feel it's necessary to prevent sticking, shake the paella pan a little bit.

Cook for 18 to 20 minutes over a high flame the first 10 or 12 minutes, and over medium heat the last minutes. The paella should cook until all water has evaporated and the rice is done.

About 14 minutes into cooking the rice, add the prawns, shrimps and mussels. Arrange them carefully on top of the rice. Alternatively, add them noe and arrange them later, after removing the paella from heat.

Cover the paella pan with 2 or 3 newspaper pages, and let it rest from 5 to 10 minutes. Don't miss this step. It's important for the success of this paella recipe. However, don't wait longer than 10 minutes to eat it.

Serve directly from the paella pan.

Suggested Mediterranean recipes and meal ideas

Paella is a rich meal, so my suggestion is to begin with a light appetizer. And as dessert? Well, either you don't eat any dessert, or you round out this fantastic paella recipe with a delicious dessert dish. After all, paella is a festive meal to be enjoyed over two or three hours with your friends.

Mediterranean diet menu A

Appetizer: Seafood salad recipe.

Main course: Paella.

Dessert: Fresh pear recipe with red wine.

Mediterranean diet menu B

Appetizer: Orange and lettuce salad recipe.

Main course: Paella.

Dessert: Flan recipe.

More delightful paella recipes

Here I give you the classic Valencian paella recipe for those of you who like to go for the original version of this popular Mediterranean rice dish.