Recipe: Chorizo & Prawn Paella

Flavoursome. Fulfilling. Fantastic.

There are many dishes that excite me as I’m cooking them, and the thought of creating my own Paella is definitely one. I may not be Spanish, nor have any Valencian cuisine training, but I do have a great love for their traditional dishes. Paella is one of my favourite food to eat. It’s a satisfying dish made with Senia or Bomba rice, vegetables, meat and/or fish, and full of flavour. Today’s recipe is one my Brother and I whipped up at the weekend, an ode to the Spaniards, that was tasty and rather easy to make too.

Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 30 mins
Ready in 40 minutes

Serves 4

Ingredients

Olive oil

150-200g Chorizo, skinned and chopped into halves

1 Onion, finely chopped

2 Celery sticks, finely chopped

1 Green bell pepper, finely chopped

4 Garlic cloves, thinly sliced or crushed

200g Paella rice

150-200g Frozen king prawns, thawed out

4 Fresh vine tomatoes OR 1 Tin chopped tomatoes

1/2 teaspoon Turmeric

1 teaspoon Paprika

1 teaspoon saffron OR 1 teaspoon saffron threads

Salt & pepper

Bay leaf

Flat leaf parsley, fresh, chopped

Thyme, fresh or dried

100ml White wine

500-800ml Stock, (fish, chicken or vegetable)

Method

Using a deep non-stick pan/casserole pot (Le Creuset style), heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over a medium heat. Fry the chorizo until it release its oils, then add the onions, celery, green pepper and garlic and stir. Sprinkle with turmeric, paprika, salt & pepper, thyme and add the bay leaf.
Add the rice and stir to coat every grain. Then add the splash of white wine, tomatoes and enough stock to cover 2cm over the rice. Stir and ensure nothing is sticking to the base, cover and cook for 10-15 minutes.
Stir, add the chopped parsley and prawns, stir again and cook for another 15 minutes or until the rice is cooked. Top up with more stock or hot water if there is little liquid but rice isn’t cooked yet.
Check if the paella needs extra salt, pepper, spice or lemon juice.
Remove the bay leaf. Serve hot with more parsley sprinkled atop, lemon wedges on the side, and enjoy!