Paella – a smoky, saffron-infused rice dish – is a well-loved meal from the east coast of Spain. While typically full of fresh seafood and spicy chorizo sausage regional varieties may also include rabbit or chicken.
Serves 4
1kg green prawns
1 tsp saffron threads
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp olive oil
1 chorizo, sliced
1 brown onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 red capsicum, deseeded, diced
400g can diced tomatoes
¾ cup long grain rice
⅓ cup flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper
lemon wedges, to serve
1 Peel and de-vein prawns. Place into a bowl, cover and refrigerate until required. Put prawn shells into a saucepan and cover with cold water. Place over a medium heat and bring to a gentle simmer. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Drain through a fine sieve over a bowl. Discard shells. You will need 1 cup of prawn stock for this recipe. The remaining stock can be frozen for up to 2 months.
2 Put saffron threads and paprika into a small bowl and add 1 tbsp hot water. Stand for 5 minutes. Heat oil in large frying pan or paella pan over medium heat. Add half the prawns and cook for 2 minutes on each side. Transfer to plate. Repeat with remaining prawns. Add chorizo and cook for 3 minutes on each side or until golden. Transfer to plate with prawns.
3 Add onion, garlic and capsicum to pan and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender. Stir in paprika and saffron mixture until combined. Add prawn stock, 1 cup of water and tomatoes to pan. Bring to the boil.
4 Sprinkle rice around the pan. Cover and cook over a low heat for 20-25 minutes or until rice is tender and almost all liquid has evaporated. Add prawns and chorizo. Stir until combined. Cook for 1 minute or until heated through. Season. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with lemon wedges.
