Traditional Spanish Paella Recipe

Paella is one of the few dishes that can truly represent an entire country. It is one of the most popular Spanish dishes all over the world, and it should come as no surprise given how delicious it is.

Spanish paella is a dish that is eaten throughout the year, and you can find it in any restaurant in Spain. Different provinces and regions have their own version, and here we’ll focus on the Andalusian version.

If you want to learn how to make a traditional Spanish paella then continue reading, later I will share with you some tips so that you can make this Spanish rice recipe without problems.

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Background of the Dish

Authentic Spanish paella is one of the oldest dishes in Spanish cuisine and has existed since approximately the 15th or 16th century. 

Paella comes originally from Valencian region.

Each region of Spain has its own recipe with different ingredients, but the Andalusian paella recipe has seafood as its main ingredient.

During the Moorish period, saffron became popular throughout Spain, and so coveted that it became gold.

Today saffron, either in flakes or powder, is used to give the characteristic yellow color to paella.

You can read all about paella or where you can eat the best paella in Malaga here.

Related articles: 15 Best Spanish Food Facts You Need to Know

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Things You’ll Need for Traditional Spanish Paella

To make this traditional you will need two main ingredients; short-grain rice and seafood.

Thankfully there are many replacements that you can make for the ingredients but we’ll talk about them later.

For the equipment, you’ll need a paella pan, but if you don’t have one a large and deep saucepan will do the trick. 

Lastly, if you liked this recipe you should try and make other delicious Spanish recipes such as tortilla de patatas recipe, Andalusian spicy gambas al pil pil, and the classic Spanish chorizo Rice.

Ingredients

• 2 cups (370g) short-grain rice
• 4 cups (950ml) of shrimp broth
• ½ kg of squid
• ½ kg of fresh prawns
• 1 handful of seashells clams and mussels
• 1 onion
• 1 medium tomato
• ½ red pepper
• 2 cloves of garlic
• ½ cup peas
• 1 bunch of fresh parsley leaves
• Olive oil
• Salt (to taste)
• Pepper (to taste)
• 1 teaspoon yellow saffron powder

How to Make Traditional Spanish Paella – Step by Step Guide

1. To start making the traditional Spanish paella recipe you have to clean and peel the prawns. Use the shells and head to make broth and then set aside. You can skip this step and use store-bought fish broth. Also, clean the squid and chop them into a round shape.

2. After that clean the seashells with plenty of water to remove any sand residue.

3. In the best paella pan, you have or a very large and deep frying pan, sauté the onion, garlic, pepper, and tomato minced in small squares in olive oil. Add a little pepper and salt.

4. Up next put the squid and then the seashells. Let them cook for a few minutes. You will see that a broth starts to form, this is fine.

5. Add the 2 cups of rice and stir to mix everything. Then add 4 cups of the shrimp broth that you made earlier. If you don’t have enough, complete with water.

6. Stir well. Add a teaspoon of yellow saffron powder to have the classic paella seasoning, and boil for about 3 minutes.

7. Then add the fresh peas, and the parsley, (previously chopped). Check the salt and pepper and add more if necessary, but be careful because seafood is already salty.

8. Traditional recipes ask to turn up the heat for 5 more mins at that point, then turn off the heat and cover for 10 mins to let it steam. At this time you can put some prawns with their shells.
9. The total cook time for the rice is close to 20 mins at medium heat, never stirred and only shaken a few times throughout the process.

Substitution of Ingredients

Even though the traditional paella from Andalusia is a dish made with seafood and rice, there are still hundreds of changes that you can make to the ingredients. 

I’m going to give you a couple of ingredients substitutions tips that will probably help you.

One of the big changes that you can make to the ingredients in this recipe is to remove the seafood and replace it with a different ingredient. 

For example, you can make a vegetarian paella, or a vegan paella, if instead of using seafood you use vegetables.

Or if you want something very simple and ready in no time, try our quick vegan Spanish rice or the Spanish rice with beans that is just as delicious.

The Spanish vegetable paella is a must-try if you’re looking for a paella recipe that as no meat at all.

The vegetable that works better to replace the seafood is the marinated artichoke hearts, they have a pretty similar texture and you might even find them infused with seafood flavor. 

Other similar changes are making a shrimp paella or a paella Valenciana which is a chicken paella recipe.

If you are making chicken paella, add more seasoning such as paprika, turmeric, etc. 

Lastly, try to use rice for paella. You might ask, what is paella rice? Well, that’s the bomba rice, also known as short-grain rice, but it’s hard to find outside of Spain. 

If you can’t find it, you can use medium-grain rice, and if not then long-grain rice will do the trick too.

There are some other Spanish recipes that you can try that are perfect if you love fish such as the delicious grilled Spanish mackerel or some appetizing grilled prawns.

Paella and Spanish clams are both recipes that Spaniards love to prepare for their Christmas dinner, so you can try them and have a different cuisine for the holidays.

If you want to try something more unique but with the same Paella taste, try the easy paella with pasta recipe and the rich Spanish chorizo paella.

Tips on Serving Traditional Spanish Paella

As well as other Spanish food recipes, this traditional Spanish paella is a dish that completely shines on its own and can be eaten at lunch or dinner.

As you can see in the paella definition, seafood is the protagonist of this dish, so you don’t need to add any topping to elevate this dish. 

You can use some clams with their shells to make your traditional paella look like an authentic coastal dish.

Paella goes very well with the sweet summer wine Sangria or if you want something alcohol-free, try the Spanish horchata drink, for a healthy and delicious option.

This dish is the star of Spanish cuisine and if you want to give a go to other Spanish specialties, make sure to try our Carajillo Spanish coffee recipe.

How to Store Traditional Spanish Paella

Being a traditional paella, this dish is not liquid or has a lot of broth, so fortunately you can keep it for a couple of days in the fridge, or even freeze it. 

Just be sure to store it in a container with a lid, or in a bowl and cover it with plastic wrap to prevent air from getting in.

In the refrigerator, it lasts up to 3 days, and frozen it lasts up to 30 days. Then you just have to heat it, either in the microwave, in the oven, or in a pan over medium heat.

Remember that this is the best seafood paella recipe, so if you can eat it fresh the same day that you make it, then that’s better!

Recipe Card: Traditional Spanish Paella

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