Paella of the Sea
- Total Time
- About 2 hours
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 6cups chicken stock
- 4cups dry white wine
- 3cups clam juice
- 1½pounds (about 14 to 18) extra-large shrimp, peeled and deveined, shells reserved
- ½cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2pounds pork butt, cut into 1-inch cubes (or substitute pork loin)
- 1pound cured chorizo in medium dice (or substitute linguiça or andouille)
- 2cups small-dice onion, peels reserved
- ⅓cup minced garlic
- 2cups crushed tomatoes
- 4cups bomba rice (or substitute other short-grained rice)
- 48littleneck clams
- 3roasted red peppers, peeled and cut into strips, for garnish
- 1cup dry sherry
- 3tablespoons cumin seeds
- 3tablespoons smoked paprika
- 2tablespoons fresh thyme
- 2bay leaves
- 1tablespoon saffron threads
- 2cups (about 20) garlic scapes (or substitute scallions)
- 5tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- ½cup toasted pine nuts
- 2tablespoons grated lemon zest
For Secret Flavor Weapon
For Garlic Scape Relish
Nutritional analysis per serving (14 servings)
837 calories; 35 grams fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 18 grams monounsaturated fat; 6 grams polyunsaturated fat; 71 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 6 grams sugars; 46 grams protein; 1390 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Combine the chicken stock, white wine, clam juice, 1 cup water and shrimp shells in a large pot. Add any onion peelings or vegetable scraps left from preparation. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to medium and simmer for 30 minutes, then strain, return the liquid to pot and set aside.
- Step 2
While stock cooks, prepare the secret flavor weapon. Heat the sherry in a small pan until it is just beginning to simmer, then remove from the heat. Add the remaining ingredients, stir well and set aside.
- Step 3
Build a medium-hot fire in grill (when ready, you can hold your hand about 6 inches above the grill for only 2 or 3 seconds).
- Step 4
Prepare the relish. Rub the scapes with about 1 tablespoon olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and grill until just toasty, about 2 minutes a side. Remove from heat and chop roughly. Combine the scapes with the remaining olive oil, pine nuts and lemon zest, mix well, and set aside.
- Step 5
Put ½ cup olive oil in a paella pan or 20-inch camp skillet. Put over the fire and heat until hot but not smoking. Add the pork butt and sausage and brown lightly on both sides, about 6 to 8 minutes total. Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently, until soft, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and half the stock mixture, bring to simmer, then add the rice and the Secret Flavor Weapon. Stir well to combine, then smooth it out to an even layer (you should have just a layer of liquid between ¼ and ½ inch on top) and allow to come back to a slow simmer.
- Step 6
Push the shrimp and clams down into the simmering mixture so they are covered by the liquid, being careful not to stir the mixture. Move the pan just enough to the side of the fire so the liquid continues to simmer slowly. Add liquid as needed to maintain that very thin visible layer for 20 minutes, but do not move the rice around. After 20 minutes stop adding liquid and continue to cook until all visible liquid is absorbed and rice is tender but not mushy, from 5 to 15 minutes. Remove from fire, lay peppers on top, spoon on the Garlic Scape Relish and serve.
Private Notes
Comments
The best paella I've made. A note on the relish: I grilled the scapes a little too long, which made them hard to chop. I then made it worse by putting the scapes in a food processor, resulting in a stringy mess.
It started raining when I made this, so instead of cooking the paella on the grill I did everything through step 5 on the stove and for step 6 I left it undisturbed in a 450F oven for 20 minutes. Apart from the crustiness that you'd get from cooking on the grill, this was perfect.
Delicious recipe. I halved it and it was more than enough for 4 people. Substituted equal amounts yellow onions for garlic scapes in relish. Sautéed onions in olive oil, salt & pepper until soft then partially pureed in food processor and mixed with other relish ingredients. It was all completed in a large frypan on the stovetop and allowed to sit, cool & let flavors meld before serving. Enjoyed by all!
The paella is good, but not the best. I used mussels instead of clams and large (not jumbo) shrimp. I made 1/3 the recipe because there are only 3 of us. First, I did not like the large amount of cumin in the dish. I like cumin, but it overpowered the more delicate flavor of the saffron. Also, the recipe calls for cooking the shrimp and shellfish way too long. I added them just after I added the last dollop of liquid. Finally, no socarrat probably because the recipe only calls for simmering.
Cut the cumin - maybe by 1/3. Very overpowering.
Way too much going on resulting in a bad meal. That simple.
I have never made paella with raw pork butt. Long grain rice is done in 25 minutes tops, but pork shoulder takes a two hour braise before tenderness. I fail to see how this recipe could work — or, on a related note, how cooking chopped shrimp for half an hour won’t yield a chewy, overcooked product. As a result, would be making adjustments on this recipe. That said the secret sauce is a great idea and will be tried.
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