Yes indeed, paella is Spanish, but this symphony of tastes is a dish that goes beyond borders. So, here’s our take on West Coast Paella.
Ingredients for 8 servings: 1 kg seafood marinara mix, thawed; 1 kg frozen shrimps, thawed; 1 kg fresh whole, cleaned black mussels; 800 gm long-grain white rice; 2 L chicken stock; 1 large onion, sliced; 80 ml olive oil; 1 red and 1 green sweet pepper, chopped; 1 large tomato, skinned and chopped; 3 cloves garlic, cut into thin strips; paprika; salt and lemon pepper to taste; fresh cilantro, chopped; 2 Tbsp lemon juice. A pinch of saffron and 6 grilled prawns are optional.
Boil rice in the chicken stock until cooked. Leave the covered rice to stand. Sauté onion until translucent. Add the sweet peppers, tomato and garlic. Stir-fry till tender. Then, in go the seafood mix, shrimps and mussels. Season with lemon pepper and a generous squeeze of lemon. Cover with a lid and shake the pan now and again. After 6 minutes, the mussels should have opened. Discard the closed mussels.
Combine the seafood mixture and cooked rice. Be ambitious by adding a pinch of saffron (the world’s most expensive spice), sprinkle lavishly with cilantro and place a few grilled prawns on top. And then, olé!
