Cuban Seafood Paella

Cuban Seafood Paella is a favorite in our household. There are many ways to make this dish ranging from SUPER complicated, to relatively simple. I have chosen a reasonably simple Cuban Method for the recipe I am sharing with you all today. 

Paella was said to be initially a rice dish that originated in Valencia, on the east coast of Spain. The origins of this traditional dish come from its name Paella, through which some say is a variant of the Arabic word “biqiyah,” which means leftovers. While there are different variations of this recipe, this is one of the seafood versions of which carried over to Cuba.

Ingredients you will need to make Cuban Seafood Paella

• Twentyfour mussels, cleaned

• Sixteen small neck clams, cleaned

• Four medium lobster tails, meat removed from the shell and cut into bite-size pieces

• Two pounds jumbo raw shrimp, deveined

• One and 1/2 cups chorizo sausage, diced

• Three and 1/2 cups Valencia rice, or bomba rice

• Four cups chicken broth

• One 8-oz. bottle clam juice

• One cup good quality red wine

• One cup green peas, fresh or frozen

• One cup carrots, diced

• One pound fresh green beans, cleaned

• Two tomatoes, diced

• 1/2 cup olive oil

• One cup onion, diced

• One cup green bell pepper, diced

• One cup red bell pepper, chopped

• Four cloves garlic, minced

• 1/4 teaspoons crumbled saffron threads

• Two teaspoons kosher salt

• Fresh ground pepper

Tips to make Cuban Paella

One of the tricks to making great tasting paella is using the right type of rice and the correct pan.

• The pan should be wide and shallow, with sloping sides. (Such as a Paella pan.) If you do not have a paella pan, a large, shallow ovenproof metal pan will do for making this recipe.

• Use a good-quality Valencia white rice, Bomba or order imported Spanish short-grain rice.

• Use fresh mussels and clams, the canned version should not be used in this recipe as they will be mushy.

• Don’t leave out the chorizo sausage as it adds an amazing layer of flavor.

• Do not leave out the saffron threads as they are important for the flavoring of the seafood paella.

• Use quality frozen vegetables. Organic is great but not necessary. 

Cuban Seafood Paella

hmccallum

Cuban Seafood Paella is a favorite in our household. There are many ways to make this dish ranging from SUPER complicated, to fairly simple. We have chosen a fairly simple Cuban Method for our recipe today.

4.93 from 14 votes

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Prep Time 25 mins

Cook Time 45 mins

0 mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Cuban, Spanish

Servings 8 People

Calories 350 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 24 mussels cleaned
• 16 small neck clams cleaned
• 4 medium lobster tails meat removed from shell and cut into bite-size pieces
• 2 pounds large raw shrimp deveined
• 1 ½ cups chorizo sausage diced
• 3 ½ cups Valencia rice or bomba rice
• 4 cups chicken broth
• One 8-oz. bottle clam juice
• 1 cup good quality red wine
• 1 cup green peas fresh or frozen
• 1 cup carrots diced
• 1 pound fresh green beans cleaned
• 2 tomatoes diced
• ½ cup olive oil
• 1 cup onion diced
• 1 cup green bell pepper diced
• 1 cup red bell pepper chopped
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• ¼ tsp. crumbled saffron threads
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• Fresh ground pepper

Instructions

 

• _{Heat the olive oil in a large pan. Sauté the chorizo sausage. This will draw any oils from the chorizo and help season the pan. Remove the chorizo and set aside.}
• _{Next add the chorizo, carrots, boil, tomato, onions, peppers, and rice to the pot. Add the salt, pepper, and the Saffron threads.}
• _{Bring the rice to a boil, reduce the heat to very low, cover and simmer on the stove for 25 minutes, until the rice is almost fully cooked.}
• _{While the rice is cooking, you need to sauté all of the seafood. It is important that the olive oil be “seasoned” with the chorizo, if you need to– sauté a few additional chorizo links as needed to give your oil a distinct pink appearance. Sauté the seafood in small batches. Don’t overcrowd your pan, it needs to cook properly.}
• _{Remove the Lobster from the tails. You may now dice it up to be evenly distributed in the Paella} .
• _{When sautéing the seafood, you need to slightly under cook it. The Shrimp and lobster will be a pink color; scallops will become white and less translucent. Remove each batch as you go and keep the seafood covered and warm so that it does not dry out.If you have fresh clams and mussels, now is a good time to steam them in a little water and wine until they open.}
• _{Once the rice is almost done . You will gently fold the seafood and vegetables into the rice mixture. Then spoon everything into a round flat pan suitable for serving. Garnish the top of the dish with sections, green peas, lobster tail shells, slices of green or red bell pepper, green beans, clams, and mussels in the shell}.
• _{Once you’ve assembled the paella in the Paella Pan, place the dish in a preheated 350ºF oven for 10-15 minutes only- long enough to finish cooking meld the flavors and heat through.}

Nutrition

Calories: 350kcal

Keyword Cuban Seafood Paella, Paella, Seafood Paella

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© Heidy L. McCallum and The McCallum’s Shamrock Patch, 2020-2013 unauthorized use and/or duplication of content/ material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Heidy L. McCallum and The McCallum’s Shamrock Patch with proper and specific direction to the original content.

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