Spanish Paella
Ingredients
Saffron Broth
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon saffron threads, or more to taste
- 1 pound jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined, shells reserved
- 2 1/4 cups chicken broth
- 1 large onion, diced
Paella
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 pound chorizo sausage, sliced into thin rounds
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups uncooked short-grain white rice (Arborio Rice)
- 1 pinch saffron threads
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper, or more to taste
- 1/2 cup frozen green peas
Instructions
Step 1
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
Step 2
Cook and stir reserved shrimp shells and 2 teaspoons olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat until shells are pink and fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir saffron into shells; add chicken broth, bring it to a simmer, and cook until the broth is a rusty brown, about 20 minutes.
Step 3
Strain saffron broth through a fine-mesh sieve; measure out 2 cups of broth, pour into a small saucepan, and place over low heat to keep broth hot.
Step 4
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large, oven-proof skillet over medium heat. Cook chorizo slices in hot oil until browned, about 2 minutes per side. Add onion to sausage; cook and stir until soft and slightly translucent, about 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low.
Step 5
Stir garlic into chorizo mixture; cook and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add rice to the skillet and stir to coat rice completely in oil; stir in peas.
Step 6
Pat rice mixture evenly into the bottom of the skillet. Arrange shrimp in a single layer over the top of the rice. Lay pepper strips around and in between shrimp; season with salt, paprika, and cayenne pepper.
Step 7
Increase heat to high. When rice begins to sizzle in the skillet, pour reserved 2 cups hot saffron broth over the shrimp; gently shake the skillet to distribute liquid.
Step 8
Bake rice mixture in the preheated oven until rice is almost tender and still a bit wet, about 20 minutes.
Step 9
Place skillet over medium-high and cook until rice is tender, liquid is absorbed, and rice caramelizes and crusts slightly on the bottom of the skillet, 3 to 5 minutes.