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Recipe of the week: 30-minute seafood paella

Although a well-loved dish all over the world, paella is best known for its Spanish and seafood roots. The “paella” itself translates to the special pan that is used to make the dish. For this 30 Minute Paella recipe, you can use any “paella” that you have already at home to recreate this European favourite! The rice is what makes the dish hearty and holds the seafood together. Many enjoy using bomba rice, which is a short-grain rice similar to Arborio that’s used in this recipe. Introducing craft canned seafood to this paella is a convenient way to make paella anytime with what you have on hand, in just half an hour! In the recipe, it’s suggested to add the canned lobster, mussels, and trout towards the end of the cooking time to stay warm and ensure tenderness when served. Pair with a full-bodied red wine, such as a Baco Noir or a Cabernet Franc, for a flavour-bursting experience. You will need: 2 cookie sheets, a paella pan or large cast iron, a medium-sized pot, ladle, cutting board, and a sharp knife. Preparation time: 15 minutes. Cooking time: 30 minutes. Serves 4-6. Ingredients 1 tin of Scout lobster 1 tin of Scout trout 1 tin of Scout mussels 2 cups arborio rice 4 cups fish or chicken stock 1 cup tomato passata 1 Spanish onion 50 grams smoked paprika 20 grams saffron 1/2 cup red wine 1 fennel bulb 3 tomatoes Salt Pepper Directions Before anything, pre-heat the oven to 400 Degrees F. Once heated, place the rice on a cookie sheet in the oven and lightly toast until it turns the colour of caramel. While the rice is toasting, on another cookie sheet, slice tomato and fennel in larger pieces and roast. In a small container, place the wine and saffron, letting the saffron bloom. In a medium-sized pot, bring chicken stock and tomato passata to a simmer and taste for seasoning as you go. Turning to your “paella pan”, sweat diced onion and garlic in olive oil until translucent. This normally takes 5-7 minutes. Deglaze with the red wine that is now infused with the saffron, and add the smoked paprika. Then stir in the toasted rice into this mixture, covering with the stock and tomato liquid. Place the pieces of tomato and fennel into the rice and place in the oven for 25 minutes, or until the edges start to become crispy. Once the corners are deliciously crispy, add the lobster and salted butter (save a bit of the oil and butter in the can), trout and mussels. Return the paella to the oven for 5 minutes to heat through. Remove from the oven and drizzle with the remaining lobster oil and butter, and serve with some crusty bread and a light salad! Thank you to Chef Charlotte Langley, Co-Founder and Chief Culinary Officer at Scout Canning, for the recipe. If you have a recipe you would like to share with  A Luxury Travel Blog‘s readers, please contact us.

Paul Johnson

Paul Johnson is Editor of A Luxury Travel Blog and has worked in the travel industry for more than 30 years. He is Winner of the Innovations in Travel ‘Best Travel Influencer’ Award from WIRED magazine. In addition to other awards, the blog has also been voted “one of the world’s best travel blogs” and “best for luxury” by The Daily Telegraph.

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8 Comments

  1. Over the lockdowns I’ve made much more use of canned foods. When you’re only going shopping once a week canned food is great. Doesn’t take up valuable fridge space and you don’t have to worry too much about best before dates. This is a nice idea for a really special meal without being hard work.

    1. Yes, having some canned staples in stock, especially at the current time when you want to minimise your frequency of visits to the shops, can certainly be handy.

  2. As every Spanish paella expert will tell you, the key to a great paella is the “socarrot”. That’s the sticky crusty rice that forms at the bottom of the pan. Often caramelised it’s the best bit.

    You’ve got to be brave enough to cook the paella just enough to get the socarrot but not for too long so that it is burnt.

    1. Thanks, Ben… that’s something new I’ve learnt today! I’d never heard of socarrat before (my quick Google searches tell me that’s the spelling). You’re right, though, that is certainly one of the best bits!!

  3. Exactly what we need at the end of a long grey half-term holiday week, a sunny taste of Spain. Brings back memories of paella eaten all over Spain from St Sebastian to Cordoba, Madrid to Marbella. Every one was very different but all delicious in their own ways.

    1. Just reading your words is making me salivate, Jane! I do miss an authentic Spanish paella and look forward to when I can visit Spain again…

  4. I haven’t used saffron in a paella for decades it’s become ridiculously expensive. None of the family seem to have missed it at all.

    1. It costs around £10 per gram currently. I often hear people say that it’s more expensive than gold but I think that’s a little outdated nowadays. The gold price is currently £40-£50 per gram and hasn’t been as low as £10 for more than a decade. The purists will no doubt be horrified at me saying this, but you can always use turmeric instead… you can pick up a kilo of turmeric for less than £10 from Amazon, so it’s quite a saving!!

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