Although the true paella is the Valencian one, that is, only with meat (chicken and rabbit), during our trip to Gran Canaria, we opted for a Mixed Paella, or “Catalan,” because it is typical of the Catalonia region, with meat, seafood, and vegetables.
Delicious… tasted at the “La Marea” restaurant in Las Palmas.
The origins of its name are linked to the “paellera,” the very wide pan in which it is cooked, usually made of iron, with two handles, allowing for perfect cooking.
The ingredients for each paella are rice, usually the Bomba, a highly prized Spanish variety that holds the EU’s DOC mark, and the paellero saffron, a mix of saffron and paprika.
The paella should never be stirred, but is served from the pan to the plate.
- Difficulty: Medium
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 4 people
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Spanish
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups Bomba rice (or Arborio or Carnaroli)
- 7 oz pork loin
- 9 oz chicken
- 18 oz mussels
- 7 oz cuttlefish
- 10 oz shrimp
- 2 prawns
- 18 oz clams
- 1 onion
- 1 1/4 cups zucchini
- 3 oz peas
- 2 bell peppers
- 1 1/4 cups tomatoes
- 1 packet paellero saffron
- to taste salt
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- to taste carrot, celery, onion, bay leaf, and some peppercorns (for fish broth)
Preparation
In a large pan, open the mussels and clams with a drizzle of oil. Shell the mussels.
Clean the shrimp by removing the head, shell, and internal vein.
Use the leftovers to prepare the fish broth with carrot, celery, onion, and some peppercorns, to be added later.
Clean the meat by cutting it into small pieces.
Slice the zucchini into rounds, the tomatoes, and the bell peppers.
In a large pan, or if available in a paella pan, sauté the onion with a drizzle of oil.
Add the meat.
Add the cleaned cuttlefish.
Add the rice in a cross pattern and arrange it evenly, add the peas, bell peppers, zucchini, tomatoes, and saffron. Adjust the salt.
Cover with hot fish broth.
Add the mussels, clams, shrimp, and prawns.
Let the paella simmer for about 16/18 minutes over high heat, then let it rest for a few minutes before serving, decorating with the two prawns.
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If you are looking for a paellera for your paella, you can buy it online: Brushed Iron Paellera, Diameter 55 cm, 17.90 €
Is it true that Spanish paella is eaten without a plate and each diner takes a spoonful from the pan placed in the center of the table?
Actually, it is not entirely true that paella is eaten without a plate. Spanish tradition dictates that paella is served directly from the pan, but each diner uses their own plate to eat it. Paella is usually prepared in a large pan (the “paellera”) and then served in the center of the table. Each person serves themselves directly from the pan, taking their own portion with a spoon or fork, but always onto a plate.
What is traditional is that paella is shared among diners, creating a convivial atmosphere. It is eaten in a group, and everyone serves themselves a little at a time from the same pan. In some traditional variants, it can also happen that it is eaten directly from the pan, but this is rarer and depends on the circumstances.
In essence, yes, paella is generally shared from the same pan, but it is not eaten “without a plate” in the strict sense: each diner takes their portion onto a plate.
