Seafood Paella by Andrew McLean

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 400g Paella rice
• 2 tsp smoked paprika (to taste)
• Around 150g chopped or sliced jarred red and yellow peppers
• 1 litre of chicken or vegetable stock
• A pinch of saffron
• 2 small onions chopped
• 2 garlic cloves finely chopped
• 4 medium size chopped tomatoes (or a 400g tin of chopped tomatoes)
• 1 bunch of trimmed asparagus
• Fresh mussels (enough for 4 people)
• Fresh uncooked tiger prawns (enough for 4 people)
• Fresh uncooked large shell on prawns (enough for 4 people)
• 25 ml sherry vinegar
• 3 tbsp of good quality olive oil
• Small bunch of flat leaf parsley.

Method

1. Put the olive oil into a Paella pan or large frying pan.
2. On a medium heat sweat the onions and garlic until softened but not brown.
3. Add the tomatoes and a tsp of paprika, then stir in the rice, making sure it is well coated.
4. Add the sherry vinegar and after a few seconds add the stock and the pinch of saffron.
5. Cover with foil or a lid and allow to simmer gently on a low heat for around 25 minutes.
6. Try not to touch the rice while it is cooking as this will give you the traditional slight crust on the bottom of the rice. If you feel it is not cooking evenly, either shake the pan or gently bring the rice from the outside in, but don’t stir like you would with a risotto.
7. Once the rice is cooked and the liquid virtually evaporated place on the mussels, tiger prawns and large shell on prawns and lay the asparagus on top and put the foil or lid back on.
8. Allow to cook for around a further five minutes until the mussels have opened and the prawns have turned pink, the asparagus should be cooked with a slight bite to it.
9. Discard any unopened mussels.
10. Sprinkle over a tsp of paprika a couple of twists of black pepper and chopped flat leaf parsley.
11. Serve in the pan as a sharing dish. If cooking for two reduce the quantities accordingly.