Authentic Spanish Seafood Paella Recipe (Paella de Marisco)

Paella is Spain's most iconic dish, and a seafood paella (paella de marisco) is summer on a plate. The secret isn't complicated — it's good rice, real saffron, a slow sofrito, and the discipline not to stir once the stock goes in. Get those right and you'll be rewarded with the socarrat, the prized caramelized crust at the bottom of the pan.

Cuisine: Spanish · Serves: 4-6 servings · Prep: 25m · Cook: 40m

Ingredients

• 60ml extra virgin olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 red pepper, sliced
• 100g green beans, trimmed
• 2 ripe tomatoes, grated
• 1 tsp sweet pimentón (smoked paprika)
• A good pinch of saffron threads
• 400g Spanish bomba paella rice
• 1.2L hot fish or seafood stock
• 300g raw prawns
• 400g mussels, cleaned
• 200g squid, cut into rings
• Lemon wedges and salt, to serve

Method

1. Heat the olive oil in a paella pan and gently sauté the onion, garlic, red pepper and green beans until soft.
2. Add the grated tomato and pimentón and cook down into a thick, jammy sofrito.
3. Stir in the rice for 1-2 minutes to coat it in the sofrito, then pour in the hot stock and crumble in the saffron. Season with salt.
4. Spread the rice out evenly and do NOT stir again. Simmer over medium heat for about 10 minutes.
5. Arrange the prawns, mussels and squid on top and cook for a further 8-10 minutes, until the rice is tender and the stock absorbed.
6. For the socarrat, turn the heat to high for the last 1-2 minutes until you hear the base crackle (don't let it burn).
7. Take off the heat, cover with a clean towel and rest for 5 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges.

A great paella deserves a great oil and saffron — explore our Spanish spices & saffron and olive oil collections, shipped from Spain.