Paella

SilverSage

Resident Crone
About once a year I have a Paella Party, by request of my friends. This year we did it on the grill, the traditional way, and I promised a tutorial on how to do it. So here goes.

Paella

Made the traditional way – over the grill. You'll think you're in Valencia!

This recipe is for a very large pan (18 inches). It will serve about 16 people with bread and a salad on the side. I’ve listed what I used this time, but lobster, calamari, scallops, fresh fish and even rabbit are all great ingredients in paella. There are no rules – just add whatever you like.

This is not a quick and easy dish. The cooking will take 2-3 hours, and becomes the center of the party. Bring the pitchers of beer and sangria outside and have the party around the grill.

Ingredients
2 lb large shrimp[/FONT]
2 tsp salt, divided[/FONT]
½ tsp pepper [/FONT]
¼ cup olive oil, divided[/FONT]
16 cloves garlic[/FONT]
2 lb skinless boneless chicken thighs[/FONT]
2 bell peppers, mixture of red, orange, yellow & green[/FONT]
1 lb chorizo, hard Spanish chorizo, not the soft Mexican chorizo[/FONT]
2 cup onion[/FONT]
2 lb tomatoes [/FONT]
4 cups Valencia rice (2 14 oz bags) [/FONT]
6 ½ cup chicken stock[/FONT]
1 cup dry white wine[/FONT]
1 tsp saffron threads, crumbled[/FONT]
2 bay leaf[/FONT]
2 dozen mussels[/FONT]
2 dozen clams[/FONT]
1 cup frozen peas[/FONT]
¼ cup parsley [/FONT]
2 lemons [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Procedure[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Mise en Place[/FONT][FONT=&quot] - You really can’t do this ‘on the fly’. You have to have all your ingredients prepared ahead and ready.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]1. Mince garlic.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]2. Peel and devein shrimp. Toss with 2 tablespoons oil, 2 teaspoons garlic, ½ teaspoon each salt & pepper. Cover and refrigerate until needed.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]3. Cut chicken thighs in half. Season with salt & pepper. Set aside.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]4. Seed and slice red pepper pole to pole in 1/3 inch strips.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]5. Cut chorizo into ½ inch slices on the bias.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]6. Chop onion fine.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]7. Chop tomatoes into ¼ inch dice.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]8. Scrub and de-beard mussels. Return to refrigerator until needed.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]9. Rough chop parsley.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]10. Cut each lemon into 8 wedges. Pick out seeds and trim ends.[/FONT]
 
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SilverSage

Resident Crone
[FONT=&quot]Cooking[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]1. Preheat grill to high. Put 18’ paella pan on grill and heat it up. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]2. Heat 4 teaspoons oil in paella pan until shimmering, but not smoking. Add pepper strips. Turn until blistered and spotty, but not burned. Set aside until later.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]3. Add 2 teaspoons oil to pan, and heat to the shimmer. Add chicken, close the lid, and brown without moving it. Turn and brown on the other side, with the lid closed. Set aside in a clean dish.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]4. Add chorizo to the pan. Turn until deep brown and fat is rendered, keeping the lid closed as much as possible. Set aside with chicken.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
 

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SilverSage

Resident Crone
[FONT=&quot]5. Drain off excess fat from the chorizo, keeping only about 2-3 tablespoons. If there isn’t enough fat, add enough oil to make it up with what is already in the pan. Heat to the shimmer. Add onion and stir until soft, lid closed as much as possible.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]6. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
 

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SilverSage

Resident Crone
[FONT=&quot]Somewhere during the next few steps, you’ll have to watch your flame and turn it down so things don’t burn. When and by how much will depend on your grill.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]7. Add tomatoes and cook with the lid closed until mixture begins to darken and thicken into a deep red/brown sofrito. Open it occasionally to stir.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
 

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SilverSage

Resident Crone
[FONT=&quot]8. Add rice and stir until grains are well coated, and the surface starts to absorb some of the color, 2-3minutes.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]9. Add wine and stir for a minute or two until absorbed.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]10. Add chicken broth, saffron, bay leaf, 1 teaspoon salt. Close the lid and bring to a boil.[/FONT]
 

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SilverSage

Resident Crone
[FONT=&quot]11. Return chicken and chorizo to pan. Make sure it comes back to a simmer.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]By now, your heat must definitely be turned down or you’ll burn the rice in the next step.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]12. Close the lid and cook until rice absorbs most of the liquid.[/FONT]
 

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SilverSage

Resident Crone
[FONT=&quot]13. Arrange bell peppers, mussels and clams hinge side down over rice. Close the lid and cook until they just start to open.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]14. Arrange shrimp and peas over rice. I also added about ¾ pound of lobster meat at this point. Close the lid and cook until the seafood is cooked through.[/FONT]
 

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Last edited:

SilverSage

Resident Crone
At this point, you can ask your friends to stand around and pose for the ooooh-and-aaaah pictures.
 

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SilverSage

Resident Crone
[FONT=&quot]15. Sprinkle with parsley and arrange the lemon wedges around the edge.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]The real test of a great paella is the soccarat – the crusty brown rice on the bottom. People have been known to fight over it![/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
 

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ChowderMan

Pizza Chef
Super Site Supporter
vedddy good looking!

if you're looking for work, I can send you a couple restaurants that need lessons . . .
 

Keltin

New member
Gold Site Supporter
INCREDIBLE!!!

Not only does the recipe sound fantastic and look fantastic, but the pictorial is out of this world!!!! Awesome job SS!!! :clap::clap::clap:
 
Paella is one of my favorite dishes on the planet. Well done! Had to log in to see the pics, when you said "traditionally made on the grill". Have never put a paella pan on the grill, & most of the pans only serve about 6-8. It's a new concept for me. Appreciate your sharing the recipe & pics. I would like to try paella made with duck (& seafood). Thanks again.
 

SilverSage

Resident Crone
Thank you all very much. I promised this recipe a couple weeks ago, and I just now got it all typed up. Fortunately, one of my guests wanted to play photographer, so we were able to capture all the steps.

Next time, you're all invited.
 

Cuisinette

Member
I have my eyes on this dish for the summer when I settle down and have time to BBQ.
Very nice job!

OT:
SilverSage is that Merola tile you have on the wall? I love it.
 
K

Kimchee

Guest
and it looks lovely with sofrito splashed on it! ;)
There, back on track, haahahah! ;)

Sage, I have a question about the rice and liquid... do I add the standard
twice as much liquid as rice all at once, or add liquid as needed till rice is done?
 

SilverSage

Resident Crone
and it looks lovely with sofrito splashed on it! ;)
There, back on track, haahahah! ;)

Sage, I have a question about the rice and liquid... do I add the standard
twice as much liquid as rice all at once, or add liquid as needed till rice is done?

Kimchee, I just noticed that I hadn't listed the rice on the ingredients list. :oops:

I just went back and added it. For the short grained Valencia rice (which it the most traditional), I don't use 2:1 liquid:rice ratio. It's just a little more than 1.5:1 I add the stock all at once.
 
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