A few weeks ago my youngest and I were watching cooking on public television – which just happens to be one of Keenen’s favorite things to do (I have taught him well!) – and we watched Eric Ripert make his Seafood Paella. Keenen tells me he wants to make it and who am I to complain, especially when our local grocery store has fresh mussels. It was like a sign from God.
When we got home we cleaned up the mussels. Keenen did the taping to check for dead ones while I washed and debearded. We placed them in a bowl over another bowl of ice and then draped them with a damp paper towel and placed them in the fridge until we were ready for them later that night.
Just before making the dish Keenen check for dead mussels one last time before we threw them in the pot. Then it was on to making our meal.
Seafood Paella
Serves 6 – 8 people
Ingredients:
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ pound chorizo, sliced
- ¼-inch thick1 onion, chopped
- 6 garlic cloves, chopped (we used 10 cloves)
- ½ tablespoon saffron
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 3 cups short grain rice
- 8 cups chicken stock
- 2 cups green peas (we didn’t use these as my husband thinks the texture of peas is wrong)
- 1 pound Pacific Cod, cut into 8 pieces (original recipe calls for 1 pound striped bass fillet)
- 18 large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 pound mussels, rinsed and beards removed
- 5-6 scallops (original recipe calls for 2 dozen cockles, scrubbed)
- 1 red pepper, roasted, peeled and cut into ¼-inch julienne (we didn’t use because I thought I would have a better time getting the kids to eat it without pepers)
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
- 1 lemon, cut into 8 wedges
Directions:
Place an 18-inch paella pan (or large skillet) over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add chorizo and render the sausage. Add the onions, garlic, saffron and turmeric and sweat until just softened.
Add the rice, stir to coat and lightly toast the rice for about 3 minutes.Add chicken stock and stir to combine. Cook for 15 minutes adding more water as necessary to keep the rice moist.
Stir in the peas and add the striped bass and shrimp to the rice, making sure each piece is slightly buried in the rice. Cook the paella for another 4 to 5 minutes until the shrimp and fish start to turn opaque.
Add the mussels and cockles with the hinge sides down, so they can easily open and place the peppers around the pan like spokes on a bicycle. Cover with foil and cook another 4-5 minutes or until the mussels.
Uncover and sprinkle with chopped parsley, serve immediately with lemon wedges.
Surprisingly my children loved the fish and chorizo. So it will definitely be a repeat meal at our house.