Ingredients
- 12 ounces Spanish rice
- 8 ounces boneless, skinless chicken (cut into 1-ounce pieces of dark and white meat)
- 8 ounces squid, cut into rings
- 8 ounces fish (red snapper or sea bass)
- 8 ounces shrimp (small or large, clean, with no shells)
- 2 8 ounces lobster (cut in pieces, if desired)
- 12 steamed Manila clams
- 12 steamed mussels
- 4 ounces olive oil
- 1 tablespoon garlic, finely chopped
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 pounds green bell peppers, cut into strips
- 2 ripe tomatoes, chopped
- 30 strands Spanish saffron, lightly toasted
- 27 ounces chicken broth
- Sea salt and black pepper
- 2 lemons
- 4 ounces peas
- 4 ounces fire-roasted peppers, cut into strips
Instructions
Courtesy of Chef Antonio Escobar – Ceviche Tapas Bar & Restaurant
Preheat the oven to 360°. Place the paella pan on low heat. Add the oil and garlic. Sauté the garlic until it is light brown. Add the onions, peppers, tomatoes, and chicken. Add the rice and lightly toasted saffron, stirring constantly. Add the chicken broth. Taste for flavor and add salt and pepper as needed. Bring ingredients to a boil and reduce the heat, cooking for 10 minutes. Place all the fish on top of the rice, and press it in, making sure it is more than halfway in the boiling chicken broth. Place the paella in the 360° preheated oven for another 10 minutes. Before removing it from the oven, add the peas, peppers, clams, and mussels. Allow the paella to stand for 5 minutes. Squeeze lemon juice over the paella before serving.
To steam the clams and mussels: Place over medium heat in a pan big enough to hold the shellfish and 16 ounces water. Add 2 bay leaves and 1 teaspoon sea salt. Squeeze half a lemon into the pot. Leave the lemon in and cover the pot. Bring to a boil and wait for the shells to open.
Remove from the heat and set aside.
