Easy Seafood Paella
User Reviews
5
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Prep Time
30 mins
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Cook Time
35 mins
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Total Time
1 hr 5 mins
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Servings
8 servings
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Calories
355 kcal
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Course
Main Course, Dinner
Easy Seafood Paella
Description
This recipe begins by seasoning white fish and shrimp with kosher salt and black pepper. Aromatics like onions, garlic, cilantro, basil, scallions, and smoked paprika are sautéed with tomatoes to create a fragrant base. Hot chicken broth mixed with clam juice is poured in and brought to a boil before adding arborio rice, which cooks uncovered and spread evenly in the pan to absorb the flavorful liquid.
The seafood is arranged on top, mainly submerged, so it steams and cooks gently without stirring, preserving the rice’s texture and creating a cohesive dish. The smoky paprika imparts traditional paella flavor, while the fresh herbs add brightness. The final texture is a balance of tender rice and succulent seafood with a moist but not soupy consistency.
This paella is best enjoyed freshly made as the arborio rice tends to lose its ideal texture if stored. Lemon wedges served alongside add acidity, balancing the richness and enhancing the seafood’s flavors. Optional saffron can be added during the tomato cooking stage for additional aroma and color, but smoked paprika remains essential for the characteristic smoky taste.
Ingredients
- 4 to 4 ¼ cups chicken broth the better your broth, the better the rice flavor will be, good quality, homemade or store bought
- 2 cups clam juice bottled, found in grocery stores
- 1 lb white fish cut into bite size pieces (i.e., mahi-mahi, orange roughly, snapper, or halibut are good, firm
- 14 mussel cleaned/de-bearded, and well-drained, fresh, in shell
- 14 clam cleaned and well-drained, in shell
- 12 Shrimp shelled or de-shelled, large or extra large
- salt Kosher salt and freshly ground
- black pepper Kosher salt and freshly ground
- 4 TB butter salted
- 1 onion chopped, medium
- 8 cloves garlic minced, fresh
- ¼ cup cilantro freshly chopped
- ¼ cup basil freshly chopped
- ¼ cup scallion freshly chopped
- 3 tsp smoked paprika it's important to use smoked paprika for the smoky flavor
- 3 Roma tomato seeded and chopped, large
- 2 cups arborio rice dry
- lemon wedges or chopped, to serve
- lime
- cilantro
Instructions
- In a pot, heat up 4 cups of chicken broth and the clam juice. Cover and keep warm. Thoroughly towel dry the fish and shrimp, keeping them separate. Sprinkle both with a layer of kosher salt and black pepper. Set aside and continue with recipe.
- In an extra large heavy skillet/pan (or cast iron pan, but NOT non-stick,) heat up the salted butter on high heat. Add the onions and garlic, cooking and stirring for 1 minute. Add the cilantro, basil, and scallions, stirring for 1 min. Add smoked paprika and tomatoes, stirring to combine well. Cover and let cook 3-4 minutes until tomatoes become soft.
- Pour in the hot broth/clam juice mixture. Bring to a boil. Add salt and pepper to taste (I prefer to add more seasoning rather than less, as the rice will absorb it all.) Sprinkle rice over the pan. Boil for 3 minutes uncovered, stirring occasionally. Smooth out the rice.
- Add fish evenly over the rice. If needed, press down so that the fish is mostly submerged in liquid. Do not stir at all from here on out. Lower heat to a low boil and cook uncovered until most of the liquid is absorbed, but there is still enough to continue cooking, 10 minutes (add up to 1/4 cup extra broth if it's too dry.)
- Add all of the shellfish evenly over the top, placing shells so that they will open face up. Cook over low boil uncovered for 15 minutes, until rice is tender and shrimp is opaque. (Turn shrimp over once halfway through cooking to ensure it cooks through.) Turn heat off and immediately cover with a domed lid or foil and let sit for 10 minutes. Discard any unopened shellfish. Serve immediately with wedges of lemon, lime, or cilantro as desired.
Notes
- Add peas if desired to include extra color and texture.
- Saffron threads can be included when cooking tomatoes to emulate traditional paella flavor.
- Consume the paella the same day; arborio rice tends to become mushy if refrigerated and reheated.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 8servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 355 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 355kcal | 18% |
| Carbohydrates | 51g | 17% |
| Protein | 20g | 40% |
| Fat | 7g | 11% |
| Saturated Fat | 4g | 20% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 1g | 6% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 2g | 10% |
| Trans Fat | 0.2g | 10% |
| Cholesterol | 66mg | 22% |
| Sodium | 885mg | 37% |
| Potassium | 531mg | 11% |
| Fiber | 3g | 12% |
| Sugar | 4g | 8% |
| Vitamin A | 1017IU | 20% |
| Vitamin C | 11mg | 12% |
| Calcium | 52mg | 5% |
| Iron | 4mg | 22% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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