Quick and Easy Skillet Paella Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret of a good paella? ›

Truly great paella also relies on a flavoursome stock, which you can make yourself using prawn heads, parsley, wine, saffron and cooking juices from the mussels. Traditionally, paella is cooked over an open fire which infuses the paella with an aromatic smoke.

Sofrito. Sofrito is a flavorful mixture of onions, garlic, tomatoes, and peppers that is used as a base for many Spanish and Latin American dishes, including paella. It's often called the "secret ingredient" in paella, as it adds a depth of flavor and richness to the dish.

Paella! This famous saffron infused rice dish is a traditional Spanish recipe that comes fully loaded with seafood or anything your heart desires! You don't need a paella pan to cook paella, any skillet or even a large pot will do, and it's surprisingly straightforward to make.

Perfect Paella Proportions

However, nowadays it is more common to prepare more rice in a smaller pan. The average proportion of rice to broth for paella is approximately 1 part rice to 3.5 parts liquid and we would suggest that you use 80-100 grams of rice per person (that's about ½ cup uncooked rice).

Rice is the most important ingredient in traditional paella, and choosing the right type of rice is crucial to achieving the perfect texture and flavor of the dish. Short-grain rice is preferred because it has the ability to absorb the liquid and flavors of the dish while maintaining its structure and texture.

Saffron is the most precious spice in the world and also a star ingredient in most paella dishes. Make the most of your paella night by using a high quality saffron.

What Can You Not Put in Paella? Real paella does not include many ingredients that go into other rice dishes. Some of these include onions, peas, mushrooms, carrots, and chorizo. While all good combinations with rice, these aren't part of the traditional paella recipes.

Water is actually the most-often-used liquid in “authentic” paella, but stock is in many cases better. Chicken stock is all-purpose, and a not-too-strong meat stock will work nicely, too. Fish stock is fine as long as you're including fish, and a quickly made shrimp-shell stock might be your best alternative.

You should have noticed their 10 essential ingredients do not include onions. That's because the vast majority of Valencians agree that onions do not go into a Valencian paella. Valencians say onions make the rice go soft.

In terms of the basic ingredients, paella is similar to a risotto. The main difference is paella doesn't require constant stirring. In fact, it's important not to stir it once the stock is added to ensure the delicious, light-golden crust, known as socarrat, forms on the base.

Do you cook paella covered or uncovered? ›

5. Cook uncovered: Cook paella uncovered for 15-18 minutes, then nestle the shrimp, mussels and calamari into the mixture, sprinkle peas on top and continue to cook (without stirring) for about 5 more minutes. Watch for most of the liquid to be absorbed and the rice at the top nearly tender.

Bomba is the best rice for paella. It's not only authentic to the dish, but the results are almost always perfect. Calasparra rice is an excellent substitute if you can't get your hands on bomba rice. Arborio Rice can work if you can't get bomba or Calasparra.

We'll be the first to tell you that not everyone can whip up a perfect paella. The liquid to rice ratio is one of the trickiest parts of creating the socarrat. Too much liquid can overcook the rice into mush; not enough liquid will leave the rice undercooked on the inside and burnt on the outside.

Paella is a dry rice, and onions are a “wet” vegetable that adds unnecessary moistness to the dish (not to mention flavor). You don't want rice grains that are “open”, over-cooked. When this happens, we say that the arroz “se ha pasado,” is passed, and you better toss it. You don't want this to happen!

What Kind Of Rice Do You Use To Make Paella? We love using medium grain or jasmine rice. You can also use Spanish rice if you can find it. The short, round grains are perfect for Paella and absorb liquid really well, which makes it the ideal rice for Paella.

Spanish saffron

If you're after authenticity in a seafood paella then you have to add saffron for colour and flavour. Spanish saffron should be bought as strands, not powdered, and it needs to be steeped in liquid so it's evenly distributed. Yes, it's an expensive spice but a little goes a long way.

“In the last 5-10 minutes of the cooking time, just turn up the heat a little bit to get that bottom perfectly crusted,” says Chef Rulis. Most of the water should be evaporated before you turn up the heat. If there's too much water in the pan you will not get the crunch you're looking for.

To stop it from sticking, you can shake the pan. Towards the end of the cooking, stop shaking it, because you do want it to stick then, in order to have a thin, crispy layer of toasted rice on the bottom, known as soccarat (the most delicious bit of all).