Garlicky Paella
Submitted by hard9ice
Garlicky paella loads saffron rice with prawns, clams, and browned chicken, perfumed with a heavy hand of garlic. The golden, one-pan Spanish classic, simmered low and never stirred so the rice cooks up tender with a crisp bottom.
YIELD
16 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
1 hrsREADY
1 hrsThis is paella built for garlic lovers, a saffron-stained Spanish rice studded with prawns, clams, and golden-browned chicken. It’s a one-pan showpiece meant to land in the middle of the table.
The cardinal rule is right there in the directions: do not stir. Once the rice goes in with the water, you leave it be. Stirring releases starch and turns it gluey, and it kills the prized socarrat, that crisp, caramelized layer that forms on the bottom of the pan.
Saffron does the real work on flavor and color, lending the rice its signature golden hue and a subtle floral, honeyed aroma.
Browning the chicken first builds a savory base, while the clams steam open right in the rice and the prawns add sweetness.
If the rice is done but liquid remains, slide the pan into the oven to dry it out. Finish with strips of sweet pimento and serve straight from the pan, the way the Spanish do.
Chef Tips
- Do not stir once the rice and water go in; that restraint is what gives you separate grains and a crisp socarrat.
- Scrub the live clams in several changes of cold water, discard any that won’t close beforehand, then any that don’t open after cooking.
- Bloom the saffron in a little of the hot water first to draw out maximum color and aroma.
Variations
- Add chorizo, mussels, or squid for an even more loaded mixed paella.
- Stir in peas and roasted red peppers near the end for color and sweetness.
- Use short-grain Spanish rice like bomba or Calasparra, which soaks up liquid without going mushy.
Ingredients
Directions
Drop raw prawns into boiling salted water and cook until they turn red.
Drain, peel and dive in.
Set aside.
Scrub live clams in several baths of cold water to be sure all the sand is washed away.
Do not open shells. Pour ½ of the olive oil into a frying pan and slowly brown chicken pieces.
Into a Dutch oven pour the remaining olive oil and sauté the onions and garlic until tender but not brown over low heat.
Add prawns, clams, chicken, saffron, salt and rice (plus optional if used.
Add water and simmer gently, uncovered, until the rice is cooked. About 35 to 45 minutes. If it becomes too dry before the rice is cooked, a little more water may be added, but DO NOT stir.
If some moisture remains when rice is done, put pan into a oven to dry out.
Arrange strips of pimento on top and serve in the pan in which it was cooked.
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