You are here: barcelona.de > City info > Catalonian recipes > Catalan paella

Catalan paella- More than a stew



Paella is a fantastic culinary work of art, according to the sun and Mediterranean tastes and its overwhelming colours. Originally a food of the farmers, it was added with seafood in coastal areas.

Ingredients for four people

  • 350g rice
  • 8 large prawns
  • 8 mussels
  • 16 clams
  • 200g squid
  • 200g mashed tomatoes
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • Parsley
  • A little saffron
  • 200g monkfish or fresh tuna

Preparation

Gently fry the gambas.
Place clams for half an hour in salt water in order to bring the sand out.
Cook the clams in very little water. Then add the mussels, so they open. Throw away mussels which are not open.

Fry the whole fish in a paella pan made of metal with a little olive oil until it turns golden brown. Then add the mashed tomatoes. Allow to simmer and add chopped garlic, parsley and saffron. Stir a few times and add the rice. Add 3/4L fish stock or boiling water, season and cook at medium heat, moving as little as possible so that the rice grains are loose.
Decorate with the clams, mussels, peas, prawns on top. If it begins to boil, leave to cook for about 18 minutes in a 220C preheated oven.

Tips and variations

Instead of the fish, paella can also be prepared with chicken, which is the variant of Valencia. The squid and prawns the can stay away. Often the paella is cooked with praws and chicken drumsticks.. It goes well with pork or lamb. The use vegetable broth instead of the fish broth. Set the paella on table as long as there is some moisture in tn the pan. Then the rice is not so dry.