Spanish Seafood Paella with Bomba Rice

Ingredients

• 400 g bomba rice
• 500 g shrimp, peeled
• 300 g mussels, cleaned
• 200 g squid, sliced into rings
• 1 pinch saffron
• 1¼ l fish stock
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic, minced
• 2 tomato, grated
• 1 dl olive oil
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 tbsp smoked paprika
• fresh parsley to taste
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges

Method

1. 1.

   Soften the vegetables — Heat the olive oil in a wide paella pan or large shallow pot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and red bell pepper, and cook until softened.

2. 2.

   Make the sofrito — Stir in the grated tomato and smoked paprika, and cook for a couple of minutes until the mixture thickens into a fragrant sofrito.

3. 3.

   Add the rice and stock — Add the bomba rice and stir to coat every grain in the sofrito. Pour in the hot fish stock, add the saffron, and season with salt.

4. 4.

   Simmer without stirring — Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook without stirring, letting the rice absorb the stock evenly.

5. 5.

   Add the seafood — Nestle the squid rings into the rice. After a few minutes, add the mussels and shrimp on top, pushing them slightly into the rice.

6. 6.

   Form the socarrat — Continue cooking undisturbed until the rice is tender, the liquid has absorbed and the mussels have opened, developing a crisp socarrat on the bottom.

7. 7.

   Rest and garnish — Remove from the heat, cover loosely and let rest for a few minutes. Scatter with fresh parsley and serve with lemon wedges.