MARIA'S PAELLA

Maria's Paella image

This is the paella all your family and friends will beg you to make again. It has the true flavor of Spain and has been made by my family in Catalonia, Spain for many generations. Enjoy!

Provided by Desi Carrimko

Categories World Cuisine Recipes European Spanish

Time 1h10m

Yield 6

Number Of Ingredients 18

Ingredients

½ cup olive oil
1 ¼ pounds chicken thighs
½ cup onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
½ green bell pepper, diced
½ red bell pepper, diced
¼ pound calamari rings
¼ pound small shrimp - peeled and deveined
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons saffron threads
1 (14 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
½ cup peas
3 cups long grain rice
6 cups water
6 large clams in shell, scrubbed
6 jumbo shrimp in shells (21-25 per lb.)
6 large sea scallops
6 wedges lemon

Steps:

Heat olive oil in a very large skillet or paella pan over medium-high heat until it begins to smoke. Place chicken thighs skin-side down into oil and sear until golden brown on both sides, about 5 minutes; set aside.
Stir in onion and garlic, and cook until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 1 minute. Add green and red bell peppers, calamari, and small shrimp; cook for 2 minutes more.
Stir in salt, saffron, tomatoes, peas, rice, and water until well combined. Add chicken thighs, and simmer for 15 minutes over medium-high heat, stirring frequently to make sure rice does not stick.
Decoratively nestle clams and jumbo shrimp into the rice. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes. Place the scallops into the paella, recover, and continue simmering until the rice is tender and the scallops firm and opaque, about 5 minutes. Garnish with lemon wedges to serve.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 814.3 calories, Carbohydrate 87.4 g, Cholesterol 210.9 mg, Fat 29.9 g, Fiber 4.3 g, Protein 47.2 g, SaturatedFat 5.6 g, Sodium 770 mg, Sugar 2.1 g