Paella with seafood - recipes with photos. Spanish paella

Can you boast that you have eaten real Spanish paella? I'm sure not. Frozen semi-finished products packaged in plastic containers and beautifully placed in the refrigerators of the nearest supermarket do not count. Pathetic attempts local restaurants depicting something even remotely reminiscent of this famous dish also does not count. And even if you are an avid traveler and have traveled the length and breadth of Spain, it is not at all necessary that you have come across real paella, and not a skillful parody prepared by a local chef for gullible tourists. And anyway, what does real paella mean? It’s worth asking this question to a Spaniard, or better yet two or three from different cities. A lively discussion will ensue, everyone will argue that only in their city can one taste real paella, and argue about what ingredients were originally included in this dish, which has become the property of Spanish cuisine, and which modern chefs began to add at their own discretion.

You won't hear a single opinion about what paella should be. But all Spaniards agree that you shouldn’t even try this delicious dish in restaurants located on tourist trails, and you should not even touch semi-finished products. Either the taste will definitely not be the same, or the ingredients will be stale, or the portions will be monstrous. Paella is a dish that requires leisure, warm company, love and free time, which is why it is prepared on holidays or weekends, gathering around your family, loved ones and best friends. The best paella comes from nature, cooked over a live fire and eaten right there in the fresh air. An excellent replacement for our traditional barbecue! Collect good company and together, cheerfully, with soul and good mood, prepare your own, real Spanish paella.

While you prepare the fire pit and grate the paellera - a huge flat thick-walled frying pan with two handles, spark interest and create intrigue, let your friends cease to be just bystanders invited to try some new dish, they should crave and discover the incredible a delicious masterpiece of Spanish cuisine - paella. Tell them the history of this dish and reveal the secret reasons for its popularity. Start by saying that paella hasn't always been the crown jewel of Spanish cooking. Several centuries ago, the Iberian Peninsula seemed to the Arabs who conquered it a wonderful place for growing rice, which was one of the most important components of their diet. Since then, rice has firmly established itself in the Valencian lands and has become a favorite side dish of Spanish peasants.

Since rice perfectly absorbed the tastes and smells of various seasonings, meat, vegetables and other products, the Valencians added to it what was familiar food for them, i.e. fish and seafood, snails, green beans, chicken and rabbit meat. Until the 18th century, some kind of modern paella was prepared in ordinary cauldrons, but over time, special dishes appeared that allowed the water to evaporate quickly and evenly, and prevented the rice from boiling. This dish still exists today and is called paellera. Paellera is a wide, shallow frying pan, the size of which, depending on the number of eaters, can vary from 20 to 90 centimeters. You can't skimp on the size of the pan! The thickness of the rice layer should not exceed two centimeters, so if you invite 8 guests, be prepared to get paellera with a diameter of 90 centimeters.

In each Spanish province, paella is prepared in its own way, so it is not surprising that there are more than 300 Spanish recipes for this dish alone. Which one should you choose, how to prepare it and how to serve it? First of all, you need to choose the type of paella. It can be Valencian paella made from rabbit, chicken and snails, seafood paella, mixed or vegetarian. Regardless of which type you choose, each paella will be based on saffron-seasoned rice, olive oil and tomatoes. So, the story is told, the fire crackles cheerfully, spreading the tempting aroma of grape branches around, and the friends are burning with impatience. It's time to start preparing the main dish.

Prepare all ingredients. Cut pretty in large pieces half a small rabbit, 300-400 grams of chicken, clean and rinse about a kilogram of seafood. Cut the squid into rings, peel the shrimp and mussels, boil the oysters in a small amount of salted water, if you have lobster, cut it into large pieces. 3-4 large tomatoes remove skin and seeds and cut into small cubes. Also chop 2 sweet green peppers and 200 grams of green beans. After this, prepare 350 grams of round rice, saffron, olive oil, salt and water. Don’t skimp on rice; if you want to get a good, tasty paella, buy high-quality rice, preferably Valencian. When all the ingredients are prepared, you can start cooking.

A group usually gathers around a paella, as if around a fire, and, holding their breath, catching the tempting aromas and swallowing the drool that appears every now and then, everyone is carried away by the process, and an hour, or even an hour and a half, spent over the paella, flies by unnoticed, only the appetite does not have time to work up. as a joke! Place the paellera on the fire and add a little olive oil. Mix chicken and rabbit pieces, add a little salt and place in a frying pan. When the meat is covered with a golden crust, add seafood to it, setting aside the squid rings for a while. After 5-10 minutes, add the squid, add a little salt and start removing the meat and seafood. Leave 5-6 pieces of meat and a little of each type of seafood.

Place tomatoes, peppers and beans in a frying pan, fry a little and pour everything over cold water. Wait for the water to boil and begin the most important task - adding rice. Rice should be added in such a way that it is evenly distributed over the entire surface of the pan. When the rice is simmering in the paellera, it’s time to add the saffron and reduce the heat, after which for 20-25 minutes you can immerse yourself in your thoughts and dreams, or simply watch the transformation of individual ingredients into the most famous and beloved dish by the Spaniards. From now on, you should never stir paella! A few minutes before cooking, place the prepared pieces of meat and seafood on top. When the rice has absorbed all the water, increase the heat for a couple of minutes until a crispy crust appears on the bottom. Then remove the paella from the heat, shake and leave for 5-10 minutes.

If during these few minutes your paella has not suffered from the raids of hungry friends, put the paella on the table. Forget about plates! Paella is eaten straight from the pan with wooden spoons. This day will be remembered for a long time by everyone, when, accompanied by jokes that are funny only in your company, the sounds of wooden spoons scraping socarrata - the burnt crust of rice, and a glass of dry wine, you will forever fall in love with the queen of Spanish cuisine - paella.

Alena Karamzina

Paella is one of the most popular dishes in Spanish cuisine. There are more than 300 varieties of it. The treat is traditionally prepared from rice with the addition of saffron, olive oil and other ingredients. Many people think that seafood paella is a very difficult dish for beginners, but this is not so.

How to cook paella at home

Cooking paella takes about an hour, taking into account the preparation of ingredients, so it cannot be called a dish a quick fix. But it’s perfect for lunch on a weekend. The list of ingredients may vary depending on the recipe, but the main ones will always include seafood, rice and fragrant saffron. Spanish chefs use a special frying pan called a paellera. This is a large, heavy metal bowl with a flat bottom and low sides. For home cooking will do regular cast iron frying pan with a flat bottom.

What kind of rice is needed for paella?

It is important to choose the right rice for paella so that the dish turns out really tasty. Ideal options Spanish round-grain varieties of this crop, such as bomba or arborio, will become available, but they are not available to everyone. Alternatively, you can use any other round rice, except for basmati and jasmine varieties - they do not absorb moisture well and for aromatic spanish dish don't fit. Cooks generally do not recommend adding long rice to paella.

Paella with seafood - recipe with photos

For the first time, it is better to choose a paella recipe with seafood that is as close as possible to the classic one. The dish is prepared by analogy with Uzbek pilaf: first, vegetables are sauteed, fish and other seafood are fried, rice is added and everything is simmered over low heat. It is important to follow the recommendations for the duration of processing of ingredients: overcooked squid becomes tough and unpleasant to the taste, and shrimp become tough. An essential component is saffron, which gives rice its characteristic golden color.

Classic Spanish seafood paella

Cooking time: 1 hour.
Number of servings: 8-12 persons.
Calorie content of the dish: 238 kcal.
Purpose: for lunch.
Cuisine: Spanish.

It’s hard to figure out which paella recipe is classic. According to legend, this Spanish pilaf contains not only seafood, but also meat, poultry and vegetables. However, the version with seafood is considered to be a classic paella. Residents of Valencia say that you will never, under any circumstances, find a single onion in paella. Otherwise, some ingredients can be replaced, leaving the base of the dish unchanged.

squid – 300 g;
shrimp, mussels, scallops – 300 g;
tomatoes – 150 g;
green peas– 100 g;
garlic – 2-3 cloves;
white wine – 100 g;
Short grain rice – 1.5 tbsp.;
saffron – 1 pinch.

Peel the shrimp, mussels, scallops (do not throw away the shells, make broth from them).
Prepare broth from shells, garlic, spices. Pour these ingredients into 500 ml of water and cook for 20-25 minutes.
Pour 2 tablespoons of water over the saffron. Let it brew.
Fry the seafood cocktail in oil, add finely grated garlic.
Season with salt and pepper and add squid cut into half rings.
Cut the tomatoes into medium-sized cubes or grate them (remove the peel).
Lightly fry the seafood mixture, after 5-10 minutes add the tomatoes and peas.
Pour the rice into the pan, stir well and pour in the broth and white wine.
After 10-15 minutes, season with saffron and simmer until done.

Paella with seafood - recipe in a slow cooker

Cooking time: 30-50 minutes.
Calorie content of the dish: 198 kcal.
Purpose: for lunch.
Cuisine: Italian.

Progress does not stand still; new miracles of technology are appearing in the kitchen. They help prepare delicious and healthy food, such as aromatic paella with seafood in a slow cooker. This traditional dish in Spain is usually served only for lunch. It is believed that a mixture of seafood and meat is very difficult to digest in the evening, and even more so before bed.

fresh bell pepper– 120 g;
round rice – 300 g;
sea cocktail – 500 g;
chicken fillet – 250 g;
garlic – 3-4 cloves;
saffron – 1 pinch;
salt, pepper - to taste;
olive oil – 2 tbsp. l.;
lemon – 60-70 g.

Heat a small amount of oil in a multicooker bowl and fry seafood in it.
When a golden crust begins to appear on them, add chopped garlic and thinly sliced pepper.
After 5-8 minutes, add finely chopped chicken fillet, saffron, and spices.
After another 10 minutes, add dry rice, mix everything well, pour in 1 glass of water or broth.
Turn on the multicooker to the “Pilaf” or “Rice” mode and simmer until done. Sprinkle lightly with lemon juice before serving.

Paella with shrimp

Number of servings: 4-6 persons.
Calorie content of the dish: 197 kcal.
Purpose: for lunch.
Cuisine: Spanish.
Difficulty of preparation: medium.

If you are not a big fan of sea life (mussels, squid), then the shrimp paella recipe will be an excellent alternative for you. This dish is no less tasty than the classic one, it can be varied a large number favorite vegetables and meat additives. If you wish, you can use fish or vegetable broth, which will give an even richer aroma and taste to the rice.

bell pepper – 1 pc.;
garlic – 3-4 cloves;
saffron – 1 pinch;
round rice – 300 g;
peeled shrimp – 400 g;
canned corn - to taste;
broth - 1 l;
parsley - to taste;
white wine – 50 ml;
tomatoes – 2-3 pcs.;
salt, pepper, lemon juice- to taste.

Chop the sweet pepper into thin strips and chop the garlic into small pieces.
Remove the skin from the tomatoes and cut them into cubes.
Saute the peppers and garlic for 3-5 minutes, then add rice, saffron, and spices to them.
After 5-7 minutes, add tomatoes, water, shrimp, bring to a boil, reduce heat to low.
5-10 minutes before cooking, pour white wine into the dish, add herbs and corn.

Paella recipe with seafood and chicken

Cooking time: 30-45 minutes.
Number of servings: 5-7 persons.
Calorie content of the dish: 289 kcal.
Purpose: for lunch.
Cuisine: Spanish.
Difficulty of preparation: easy.

To cook rice with chicken and seafood, you don’t need any complicated manipulations. This treat is prepared similarly to the usual pilaf, with the only difference being that seafood and chicken fillet are used instead of lamb. Otherwise, the process is very similar, so even a beginner can prepare delicious paella. culinary affairs. It is best to simmer it in a deep cauldron with thick walls, like pilaf.

round rice – 400 g;
chicken fillet – 250 g;
frozen sea cocktail – 400 g;
sweet pepper – 1 pc.;
tomatoes – 2-3 pcs.;
garlic – 3-4 cloves;
water or broth – 600-700 ml;
saffron – ½ tsp;
white dry wine– 50-70 ml;
salt, allspice- to taste.

Heat some vegetable oil in a cauldron.
Cut the fillet into cubes, fry with chopped garlic until golden brown.
Separately, fry the seafood until excess moisture has evaporated.
Cut the tomatoes and peppers into cubes, add to chicken meat, fry for 7-9 minutes.
Pour dry rice into the pan, fry for 2-3 minutes, then add seafood.
Pour broth over paella, add spices and white wine.
After the rice boils, reduce the heat to low and simmer until tender without stirring.
Stir before serving.

Paella with seafood from Yulia Vysotskaya

Cooking time: 1 hour.
Number of servings: 3-4 persons.
Calorie content of the dish: 179 kcal.
Purpose: for lunch.
Cuisine: Spanish.
Difficulty of preparation: easy.

We present to you a recipe for paella with seafood from Yulia Vysotskaya. She shares how to prepare a treat quickly, and at the same time make it tasty and healthy. This recipe will especially appeal to those who are watching their figure - it can be classified as low-calorie due to large quantity vegetables You can add your own favorite ingredients to customize your paella.

shrimp – 15 pcs.;
celery (stems) – ¼ piece;
rice – 100 g;
carrots – 100 g;
bell pepper – 100 g;
garlic – 2-3 cloves;
salt, peppercorns - to taste;
tomato paste – 30-40 g;
lemon juice - for sprinkling.

Boil the shrimp in salted water tinted with saffron, do not drain the broth.
Chop the vegetables into cubes and fry in a small amount of oil or water.
Pour in rice, spices, add tomato paste, fill everything with shrimp broth.
Mix well, simmer for low heat until ready.
Sprinkle with lemon juice before serving.

Sea cocktail paella

Cooking time: 45-55 minutes.
Number of servings: 2-3 persons.
Calorie content of the dish: 239 kcal.
Purpose: for lunch.
Cuisine: Spanish.
Difficulty of preparation: easy.

Paella with sea cocktail It is prepared similarly to the classic recipe, but to prepare it you do not need to buy seafood separately - you can use the available mixture. This is a good alternative for instant cooking hearty dinner after a hard day at work. You should first defrost the seafood mixture and warm it up a little in thick-walled frying pan so that excess moisture evaporates.

rice for paella – 130 g;
sweet pepper – ½ piece;
dried garlic – ½ tsp;
vegetable broth – 400 ml;
saffron – ½ tsp;
sea cocktail – 200 g;
parsley - to taste

Prepare broth from any vegetables with spices.
Chop the pepper into thin strips.
Fry seafood with garlic until golden brown.
Add saffron and salt to taste.
Pour in the rice, mix well, pour in the broth.
Simmer under closed lid until done, garnish with parsley.

Paella with seafood - a simple recipe

Cooking time: 40-45 minutes.
Number of servings: 3-5 persons.
Calorie content of the dish: 236 kcal.
Purpose: for lunch.
Cuisine: Spanish.
Difficulty of preparation: easy.

If you haven’t cooked Spanish cuisine before, then a simple paella with seafood is... great option to test your strength. All ingredients are available at any major store or supermarket. It is best to choose chilled fish, low-fat varieties. Pollock, lemonema or peled are suitable, but if you wish, you can take any other type of fish that you like.

rice – 1.5 cups;
shrimp – 300 g;
fish – 300 g;
canned peas – 200 g;
garlic – 2 cloves;
broth - 3 cups;
salt, pepper, saffron - to taste.

Peel the shrimp and boil in broth with spices.
Fry garlic with finely chopped fish.
Add shrimp, rice, peas.
Mix well, pour in shrimp broth.
Simmer until the broth has completely evaporated.

Paella with fish and seafood

Cooking time: 45-55 minutes.
Number of servings: 5 persons.
Calorie content of the dish: 218 kcal.
Purpose: for lunch.
Cuisine: Spanish.
Difficulty of preparation: easy.

Delicious paella with seafood and fish is easy and quick to prepare and has a delicate aroma. Moreover, this healthy cocktail, which contains proteins, iodine, minerals and omega-3 acids necessary for health. This treat is especially useful for women and people on a diet. It is recommended to consume seafood at least once a week to maintain the shine and strength of hair, nails and skin.

frozen seafood cocktail – 250 g;
fish fillet – 250 g;
green beans – 200 g;
sweet pepper – 100 g;
tomatoes or tomato paste – 100 g;
dried garlic – 1 tsp;
round rice - 3 cups;
broth - 6 glasses;
salt, paprika, saffron - to taste.

Fry seafood and fish for 2-3 minutes. Place the mixture in a separate bowl.
In the liquid that remains after cooking the fish, simmer the vegetables, chopped as you like. Add tomatoes or tomato paste and spices.
Pour in the rice, add 1 cup of broth, stir and simmer for 5-10 minutes.
Gradually add broth until the rice is completely cooked.
Grind the herbs and garlic in a blender. Add some broth to make a sauce.
Pour the sauce over the finished paella. Serve to the table.

Black paella with seafood

Cooking time: 1 hour.
Number of servings: 5-8 persons.
Calorie content of the dish: 325 kcal per 100 g.
Purpose: for lunch.
Cuisine: Spanish.
Difficulty of preparation: difficult.

How to cook black rice with cuttlefish ink? At first glance, this recipe may seem strange and inedible, but it is not so. Cuttlefish ink has wide range Applications: they are used in medicine, used to obtain paint, and also added to dishes as natural dye. Distinctive feature This substance is its specific salty marine taste.

Bomba rice – 180 g;
king prawns – 4 pcs.;
almejas (molluscs) – 4 pcs.;
gambones – 4 pcs.;
langoustine – 4 pcs.;
canned peas – 20-50 g;
cuttlefish – 100 g;
cuttlefish ink – 5 g;
dried garlic – 1 tsp;
squid – 120-150 g;
fish broth – 700-750 ml;
saffron, spices - to taste.

Heat olive oil, add dried garlic.
Fry almejas with langoustine and gambones in it.
Add finely chopped cuttlefish and squid, fry for 30 seconds and remove from heat.
In another pan, fry the shrimp.
Place the seafood mixture back on the stove, fill it with broth, and add cuttlefish ink.
As soon as the mixture boils, pour the rice into it and bring to a boil.
After 15-17 minutes, add herbs, spices, and peas.
Garnish with shrimp before serving.

Spices for paella

Correctly selected spices for seafood paella will add a unique flavor to your dish. But you need to choose them very carefully, because not all seasonings are suitable for paella. You can buy ready set spices, but as practice shows, their composition is also different, so you need to choose correctly. The main thing is to achieve the ideal balance of aromas and tastes, then your culinary masterpiece will be appreciated.

The following spices and herbs are suitable for paella:

Depending on your taste preferences, you can combine different herbs and spices until you find the optimal mixture. The only constant ingredient is saffron. It gives the same aroma and taste that is so praised and appreciated by lovers of Spanish cuisine. You should be careful with curry and anise - they have a very strong, specific aroma that can overpower the taste of paella.

History and technique of preparing paella.

Paella- this is the most famous and popular dish Spanish cuisine. It is surrounded by rituals and myths, has its own tricks and special cooking techniques, as well as strict rules (Never stir the rice after the broth has been added! Never cover the rice while cooking!). At the same time, there are a huge number of options for paella, and discussions about what can and cannot be included in paella do not stop. Paella is a reason to gather family and friends. On the Mediterranean coast, especially in Valencia and Catalonia, paella is prepared for city holidays. There are other rice dishes in Spain (cazuela, caldero), but paella is the most colorful and impressive. Place a wide pan of antique gold-colored rice, interspersed with black mussels and white clams, on the table of a hungry crowd, and you'll hear oohs and aahs. Paella is the queen rice dishes. It is very beautiful, memorable and, cooked correctly, incredibly tasty.

Wide irrigated gardens, la huertas, for which Valencia is famous, are located next to rice fields. It was in these gardens that paella was born. Rice was the region's staple produce, and peasants cooked it with vegetables they grew in their gardens—fresh beans, tomatoes, and artichokes—as well as snails they found in wild rosemary and thyme bushes. IN lucky days or for special occasions, pieces of rabbit, duck or chicken were added to the rice. The dish, cooked in a wide shallow frying pan on the smoldering branches of olive or orange trees, was called arroz a la Valenciana– Valencian rice. At the end of the 19th century it was renamed paella valenciana, according to the name of the special pan in which the rice is cooked and the region where it originated.

Various versions of paella using other ingredients appeared later. There is only one Valencian paella, but there are many others, from classic marisco(with seafood) and mixta(with chicken and seafood), to such original combinations as rabbit and artichokes or rack of pork ribs and turnips. Paella can be easily adapted to suit seasonal ingredients. In the fall you can add fresh game, in the spring - asparagus. There is a lot of room for imagination here. Why not add squid rings, sardines, rosemary or wild mushrooms?

But what makes paella “real”, authentic? I have heard some very emphatic statements that paella is not paella if it is prepared without the lime-rich Valencian water. Some say that everything that is not Valencian paella is just un arroz en una paella(rice in a paella pan). The first statement is too narrow, and the second is just a play on words. Paella is paella if key rules her preparations were followed. First, you need to use rice that absorbs liquid and flavors well. It should be remembered that paella is primarily rice, and the other ingredients are used to give it flavor. Secondly, paella is cooked in olive oil, its base is sofrito, and yellow saffron gives it. Third, and most importantly, it is cooked in the wide, flat pan that gives this dish its name. In such a frying pan, the layer of rice is quite thin, and this is what allows it to absorb all the flavors additional ingredients and prepare quickly. The rice in paella should not be soft, creamy and moist (as in risotto or cazuelo). It should be crumbly.

The basic method for making paella is simple and versatile, but you can of course make your own changes based on personal preference. The sequence is as follows: poultry, rabbit, game and seafood are fried until golden brown in olive oil. (Seafood is placed on a separate plate immediately after frying). Then vegetables are added - bell peppers, green beans, artichokes and, of course, tomato pulp. All this is simmered over medium heat and forms the basis of the paella - sofrito. After this add sweet paprika and saffron. Bring the broth (or water) to a boil. And only when all the guests have gathered, pour rice into the pan and after a couple of minutes pour liquid into it. Cook the rice over medium-high heat for 18-20 minutes, then cook for another 8-10 minutes over low heat. Rice should retain its texture, be al punto (like al dente pasta, or in other words, should not be overcooked and turn into porridge). The whole point is to distribute the rice, fire and liquid evenly.

Paella was born as a peasant food, and it can remain simple and inexpensive. But it can also be incredibly sophisticated. Ingredients range from the cheapest sardines to lobsters and lobsters. In Spain, paella is typically served for lunch rather than dinner. Paella can be cooked for a huge number of people (and in one frying pan): in 1992, paella was prepared for 100 thousand people in Valencia.

Key elements

Pan
Wide shallow frying pan gives paella its name. Rice cooked with the same ingredients but in a different type of pan is called in Spain un arroz– rice, but not paella. The differences are very clear and the rules cannot be changed. A paella pan is wide, shallow, with a thin bottom and walls, in which the rice is placed in a thin layer in direct contact with the bottom of the dish, where all the flavors of the base are concentrated - sofrito. This pan also allows the liquid to evaporate as quickly as possible, giving the rice the desired dry texture. Since the pan has a thin bottom and walls, it heats up and cools down quickly. Once the paella is removed from the heat, the rice stops cooking almost immediately. The paella pan does not have a lid - the rice is never covered during cooking.

The word "paella" in Spanish means "frying pan" and comes from the Latin patella - plate or metal bowl. Often the paella pan is mistakenly called a "paellera", and this has become a hotly debated topic among Spaniards. Nationally respected culinary expert on rice cooking, Lourdes March, wrote the book " El libro de la paella y de los arroces(The Book of Paella and Rice), which clearly explained that the pan is called "paella" and not "paella", since the latter refers to the place in the yard where paella is traditionally prepared. Also, a paellera is a woman who cooks paella.

The size of the pan depends on the amount of rice. The more rice, the wider the pan should be so that the rice can be placed in a thin layer. Ideally, once the rice and other ingredients have been added, the liquid poured into the paella should reach the handles of the pan. Pan sizes depending on the number of servings:

2-3 servings – 30 cm
2-4 servings – 36 cm
4-5 servings – 40 cm
4-6 servings – 46 cm
6-8 servings – 50 cm
10 servings – 55 cm
12 servings – 60 cm
15 servings – 65 cm

Of course, at home, the Spaniards do not have all the pans that would be suitable for any number of guests, and cooks know how to adapt to the situation. “Where you can feed four, you can feed five,” the Spaniards believe. However, you shouldn't cook paella for 10 people in a frying pan for 6, otherwise the whole point of the paella will be lost. If you don't have a suitable frying pan, you can alternatively make large quantities of tapas or other snacks and reduce the portion of paella for each guest. You can also divide the paella between two pans.

Sofrito and picado
Key elements Spanish paella– this is sofrito – stewed vegetables, meat or seafood that give their taste properties rice; as well as picado - a mixture of herbs, garlic, nuts, which plays the final chord. Sofrito may include onions, peppers, artichokes, meat, seafood (some fried seafood is removed from the pan because it should not cook for too long). The essential ingredient of sofrito is tomatoes, their grated pulp without skin. The ingredients are added in a specific order and cooked to create a thick, sweet mixture. Cook the tomatoes over low enough heat so that excess liquid evaporates and the mixture becomes richer. dark color, approximately 12 minutes. You should never rush when preparing sofrito. It should be tenderly stewed and aromatic. In addition, the sofrito should not be left unattended to prevent it from drying out and burning. In Spain, picada is more often used for other rice dishes, and for paella, the most typical addition at the end of cooking is chopped herbs with garlic.

Liquid
Rice absorbs liquid and is a “conductor” of all tastes. If you are preparing paella from several simple ingredients, then it is advisable to add a rich broth. If you are making paella with a lot of chicken, rabbit, fresh seafood and good sofrito, then you can just add water. But in general the rule is: the better your broth, the better your paella will be. Important point: When you cook paella, always have a low-simmering liquid (other than broth) on the stove that you can add to the paella if you find it too dry. Any liquid is added to paella hot! The approximate proportion of rice to liquid (100 g of dry rice per person) is 100 g of rice / 250 g of liquid.

And in conclusion - The golden rules for cooking paella
1. Do not rinse the rice.
2. Do not add rice to the pan until all guests have arrived.
3. After adding liquid, do not stir the rice.
4. Do not cover the rice while cooking.

Happy paella making and have a nice sunny day!

Not long ago, my husband and I had the idea to create a joint gastronomic blog (my husband is a gastronomy specialist and a chef), dedicated to our culinary travels and the recipes that we prepare together. This is what came of it! All recipes can be found here:

Paella is one of the symbols of Spain, a dish at the mention of which people who have visited Spain roll their eyes with delight. And this despite the fact that most of those who try national dish here, most often, he doesn’t even know that he’s eating just a tourist parody of the original. It's like finding real borscht in the first establishment you come across - almost impossible.

When friends come to visit us, Huanqui always prepares paella “for tourists”, with a huge amount of seafood, beautifully laid out over the entire surface of the dish. In reality, classic paella- This is mostly rice.

Perhaps there is no other such controversial dish in Spain, in the preparation of which there is a huge amount of disagreement and everyone believes that their method is the most correct. This again something like Russian-Ukrainian borscht. There are so many cooks and housewives, so many opinions. There is not even a single idea where this dish came from.

However, if we are talking specifically about Valencian paella (Valencia is a province in eastern Spain), which is considered the most delicious, and not without reason, there is a certain list of components that, as a rule, is included in of this dish. There are only ten of them)))). It is clear that in our realities it is not always possible to find traditional components, but there is no need to worry about this, almost everything in this world is replaceable. Although, of course, it will no longer be “the same taste.”

So, the products:

- Chicken raised on “free bread” (it tastes very different from those raised in stuffy poultry houses, although, naturally, at home it can be replaced with ordinary chicken)

- Rabbit

- Ferraura - one of the varieties of green beans, very thin, allowing them to be cooked very quickly
- Garrofon - another specific type of bean, white, large and oily in taste. Again, it is absolutely not necessary to use it, however, nothing can replace it, so if you don’t find it Garrofon , just remove it from your grocery list.

- Very ripe tomatoes

“Bomba” rice, which guarantees you the high-quality taste of paella, is, alas, not always used, even in Spain in quite decent places. Of course, you can replace it with other rice (I’ll tell you about this at the end), but still, real taste gives Bomba

Water - alas, you definitely won’t find water like this in Valencia, but at least you need to filter it, or buy drinking water.

Saffron - it should not be abused, since excessive amounts can spoil the taste.

Garlic - it is best to use pink-raspberry garlic, it produces a particularly rich taste

Attention, no paella contains onions, contrary to popular belief! Never, do you hear? Never!!)))

Depending on the zone, the following can also be added to paella: duck, artichokes, mashed tomato with garlic and olive oil, Tartracina E-102 dye (which allows you to give paella its famous color without adding saffron. Do not use turmeric because it has taste too pronounced for paella), sweet peppers, small snails. You can also add one or more of these ingredients to your paella.

Please, please time your paella so that there are no leftovers. Heated paella can cause a heart attack in a Valencian)))

Paella rice should NOT be soaked or rinsed. Ideally, paella is cooked over an open fire, however, this requires certain skills and experience, so start with a regular gas or electric stove.

If you're cooking in Spain, you won't have a hard time finding Valencian rice good quality. Outside the country, this is more difficult to do, although in large cities of Russia and Ukraine the rice is of the “ Bomba ”It won’t be too difficult to find. If you still can’t find one, a similar result can be achieved with sushi rice or Carnaroli rice, traditionally used for risotto. That is, our goal is large round rice. However, I repeat once again, it is better to look for classic rice.

It is also clear that not everyone will be able to find a special frying pan. Paellera for making Paella. Of course, if possible and if you plan to regularly cook the dish at home, you need to get one. However, if Paella is still an experiment for you, and you are not sure that you want to repeat it, try cooking it in a frying pan or in a shallow saucepan. Important: it must be large in diameter and with low sides! Try to find one that is as similar to the source as possible.

So, here's our interpretation of the recipe, although it's certainly not perfect, and I'm sure there are people who can make it better. But, for home option- just perfect!

Paella for two(I’ll make a reservation right away, for two people who love to eat)))

100 ml olive oil Extra Virgen

6 cloves pink garlic. 1/3 crushed, the rest whole

8 small pieces of chicken (chicken part is up to you, we like the top of the drumsticks) - 160g

8 small rabbit pieces

12 pods of young green beans

6 baby green beans, divided into thirds

1 ripe tomato

1 spoon sweet red paprika

1/3 green pepper (we use a narrow one) long pepper, something like our dirt)

Bomb rice (we prefer Sivaris ) 150-220 g, depending on the appetite of the guests

½ teaspoon paella coloring

12 saffron petals

Pour three-quarters of the oil into the paella pan ( Paellera ) and brown the chicken and rabbit over low heat until golden crust. Move the meat to a corner of the frying pan and add two peeled cloves of garlic. Fry, turning them so they don't burn. Add the beans and continue to brown the vegetables together. Remove the garlic and place it in a mortar, preferably a wooden one. Add the remaining peeled raw whole garlic(4 cloves), saffron and set aside. Mash in a mortar and set aside.

Food lovers will be interested in an entertaining story about famous dish Spanish cuisine - paella. If you are in your kitchen not only to look in the refrigerator, but also to cook something new, to please delicious dish yourself and your family, then you should definitely take note. So, what is paella, what is the history of its origin, how do the Spaniards treat it? How many varieties of this national dish are there?

Where does paella come from?

Many uninitiated ordinary people who have heard this name consider it exclusively spanish food, although for the appearance of paella we must thank not the whole country, but only Valencia - it was in this Spanish city that they began to prepare rice, tinting it with saffron and adding olive oil. Already in those days they tried to experiment with the ingredients of paella, including chicken meat in the dish, various vegetables and seafood. The dish was served on March 19, when St. Joseph's Day or San Jose (Dia de San Jose) was celebrated, and this tradition continues in our time, while paella is prepared not only on the holiday, but also on other days. For example, on Sundays, gathering family members at the table and inviting guests. Well, in tourist areas almost every restaurant you come across is ready to feed you paella.

Family meeting with paella

First paella

Probably every resident of Spain knows how to cook paella from an early age. Not a single city holiday, especially in Valencia, is complete without paella being prepared right on its streets as the main treat symbolizing spanish cuisine. Some of the first mentions of the preparation of this dish relate to the region of Lake Albufera, located south of Valencia, where rice was cultivated for centuries. They say that it was on the banks of the Albufera, in the village of El Palmar, that the first paella was once prepared.

Leftovers or not leftovers?

Initially, eating paella was common only in the lower strata of society. There is an interesting version according to which the origin of the word itself is attributed to the Arabic language, where it means “leftovers,” since among Arab sailors it was not considered shameful to combine the remains of a previous meal into a new dish. Of course, is it really possible to throw away food that was not eaten at the master’s table! It’s better to “conjure” it a little more and feed a bunch of hungry sailors.

About the meaning of the word "paella"

It is officially accepted that the origin of the word is from the Latin concept patella, which means “frying pan”. In Valencian "frying pan" sounds like paella - close in meaning to the Castilian concept of padilla (small oven), Italian padella (frying pan), French poêle (frying pan, oven), Polish patelnia (frying pan). Among the Valencians, this word generally refers to all types of pans, including dishes intended for preparing paella.

How to prepare paella

The most famous recipes Three varieties are considered to be very popular and each of them uses its own composition of ingredients:

Paella Valenciana- Paella Valenciana with chicken, rabbit, legumes and vegetables.
paella de marisco- paella with seafood (shrimp, mussels, squid, etc.).
paella mixta- paella mix with different ingredients.

If you are going to cook a type of paella with seafood and... black rice, then you can’t do without cuttlefish ink (it’s what gives the rice its color), which is freely sold in many Spanish and some large Russian stores. Of course, these are just examples of the main types, but in any paella they remain unchanged general principles preparing the dishes discussed below.

General principles for preparing paella

So, the main thing is to take into account the most basic principles so that the paella is appetizing and tasty.

The wide variety of ingredients used in the preparation of paella makes this dish very popular. In different regions they adapt in their own way, which serves to create new recipes, of which, according to the Spaniards, there are more than three hundred. If we talk about classic recipe paella, it traditionally uses rice, several types of fish, and seafood. In addition to these ingredients, it is also prepared with chicken, adding spices, herbs and white wine. There are regions where Spanish paella, in the absence of rice, is prepared from beans. In any case, this is not dietary at all, but nutritious and very delicious dish, with the help of which you can easily satisfy your hunger.

You will hardly find many Spanish restaurants where this dish is not on the menu. I will say more - because of its popularity, paella is found in almost all self-respecting European restaurants and everyone prepares it in their own way, experimenting with varieties of all its components.

We specifically do not write one specific paella recipe because the choice is too large and depends solely on your preferences. BUT there will be a video at the end of the article preparations with description process of preparing paella with seafood- it will be clearer this way.

In the future, we plan to visit the Spaniards and film the entire cooking process, making a separate article about it (with all the chef’s secrets). So stay in touch and stay tuned, we will inform you when such an article is published in the update newsletter.

Show your imagination

If we talk about a huge number paella recipes in the national cuisine of Spain, then its main ingredients must remain unchanged. Everything else is a matter of taste and imagination. For example, according to the “Rice with Crust” recipe, blood sausage is a mandatory ingredient.

There are recipes with spicy Spanish pork sausage chorizo, which they like to add to paella. If you want, you can use other sausages and sausages, eggs, mussels or shrimp, meatballs and white bread crumbs, adding sweet peppers, tomatoes, onions and garlic, fresh herbs, lemon slices and green peas, wine and broth. The main thing is that the combination of products is appetizing in appearance and taste. With the advent of multicookers, cooking paella has become much easier and many housewives, having one of the recipes at hand, do an excellent job preparing this dish in their kitchen.

Analogues of paella in other countries

IN eastern countries can be considered an analogue of paella pilaf, in Italy - risotto(risotto), and Creoles prepare a similar dish called jambalaya(jambalaya). Even among Valencian dishes there are similarities with paella - fideua(fideua). But instead of rice, vermicelli is placed in it, and the appearance of such a dish is attributed to the cook of the fishing boat, Juan Bautista Pascual. According to rumors, the sailors did not appreciate this innovation in the menu, but over time the dish gained its popularity. Nowadays there is even an annual competition, which is held in one of the cities of the Grandia autonomy, to prepare the best fideua.

To summarize

If you don’t have a cookbook with Spanish paella recipes at hand, then you can find a suitable option for yourself on the Internet. You can also add your own imagination to the cooking principles described above, and then the dish will acquire its own unique flavor. As you can see, in order to taste paella, you don’t have to leave the area. own kitchen. But if you are on holiday in Spain, you will hardly be able to resist going to one of the many local restaurants where you will be served a real Spanish dish.

By the way, red wine or sangria is perfect for paella, which you can prepare according to our favorite recipe described.

It should be remembered that in restaurants paella is prepared for several people at once (usually two to four), and not in portions. It is better to order it in the company of friends or family. If somewhere they offer a portion for one, then most likely the paella was prepared earlier (and it is not known how), frozen and will simply be reheated - this is not the same at all.

In conclusion, we offer you recipe video classic paella with seafood by which even beginners can understand the whole process and repeat it at home