Paella de Mariscos

July 16, 2012

Paella de Mariscos

Some people can't walk past a cute puppy, nose pressed against the glass of a pet store. I feel the same way about kitchen gadgetry. I see it all by itself sitting on the shelf, and I just want to bring it home. Seeing the paella pans was love at first sight. Shiny steel, tilted sides, labels in Spanish...it was all too much. It needed a good home.

It took several weeks to put to good use, but there wasn't a day that I didn't think about the food to come.

It was finally time this past weekend. I used a combination of recipes and created my own.

4 c short grain rice
12 c seafood stock
1 lb calamari
2 lb large shrimp ( some with heads on )
1 lb langoustines
1 lb chopped chicken legs or other dark meat
1 lb Grouper
4 cloves of garlic, sliced
3 bay leaves
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp turmeric
1 tsp salt (go by taste here)
3 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp chopped parsley

Seafood Stock
1 quart of chicken stock (low sodium)
1 can of seafood stock
2 cans (refilled) of water
3 bay leaves
3 tsp Old Bay seasoning

Heat olive oil in the pan. Add sliced garlic. Let start to turn golden and add chicken legs. Roast until starting to brown. Add in calamari rings. Stir in your salt and spices. Add in the Seafood Stock. Add in the rice. Distribute the ingredients as evenly as possible on the pan. This is going to be the last time you stir, so make it good. It's going to take about 20-25 minutes to cook the paella, here on out (I used a grill which I was closing during the cooking process, so it may take longer on the stove). In about 10 minutes, add in the grouper. Another 5 minutes later, add in the large langoustines. Couple minutes more, add the shrimp. Try the rice at about 20 minutes of cooking and judge if you want to keep it going for a little longer. As soon as the rice is ready. Remove from heat. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve immediatelly. This will feed about 10-12 people.