At her restaurant Terra Plata in Seattle, James Beard Award-winning chef Tamara Murphy makes her own chorizo for the excellent chicken and seafood paella on her menu. As for the seafood in this dish, she breaks with tradition by sautéing the shrimp and steaming the mussels and clams before adding them to the paella during the last few minutes of cooking; this keeps the seafood moist and delicious. If you ever make just one paella recipe, this is the one to try.
Ingredients
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4 ounces fresh chorizo, casings removed
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1 small onion, thinly sliced
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1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
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1/2 cup canned diced tomatoes
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1 cup arborio rice
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Pinch of saffron threads dissolved in 2 tablespoons of water
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1 1/2 cups water
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Kosher salt
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Freshly ground black pepper
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1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided
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1 pound large shrimp, shelled and deveined
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1/4 cup dry white wine
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1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
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1/2 pound mussels, scrubbed and debearded
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1/2 pound cockles, scrubbed and rinsed
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1 1/2 cups sliced cooked chicken, preferably dark meat (8 ounces)
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2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
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1 scallion, thinly sliced
Directions
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Diana Chistruga
Gather the ingredients.
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Diana Chistruga
Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a 10-inch paella pan or ovenproof skillet, cook the chorizo over moderate heat, breaking it up with a spoon, until some of the fat is rendered and the chorizo is browned, 4 minutes.
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Diana Chistruga
Add the onion and garlic and cook over low heat, stirring, until softened and just beginning to brown, 8 minutes.
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Diana Chistruga
Stir in the tomatoes, rice, saffron with its liquid, and the 1 1/2 cups of water. Season with salt and pepper; raise the heat and bring to a boil..
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Diana Chistruga
Cover and simmer over low heat, without stirring, until the rice is al dente and the liquid is absorbed, 15 minutes.
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Diana Chistruga
In a large skillet, heat the 1/4 cup of olive oil until shimmering. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper, add them to the skillet, and cook over high heat, turning once, until pink and cooked through, about 3 minutes
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Using a slotted spoon, transfer the shrimp to the rice. Discard the oil.
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Wipe out the skillet. Pour in the wine and lemon juice. Add the mussels and cockles, cover, and cook, shaking the skillet, until the mussels open, about 3 minutes.
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Pour the mussels and cockles and their cooking liquid over the rice.
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Stir the cooked chicken into the rice. Cover and cook in the oven for about 5 minutes, until the paella is just heated through.
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Diana Chistruga
Garnish with the parsley and scallion, drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and serve.
Suggested pairing
A crisp, grapefruit-y Spanish Verdejo is perfect with paella.