Marc and Gemma’s Seafood Paella

Ingredients

Serves 8 people

• 200 to 250ml olive oil
• 3 medium-size white onions
• 6 garlic cloves
• 4 artichokes or 2 packs green asparagus or 300g green beans
• 3 green sweet chillies
• 3 ripe tomatoes
• 3/4 medium-size squid or calamari
• 8 raw prawns (not peeled, size to taste)
• 24 mussels
• 32 pippies or clams (fewer if big)
• 8 to 10 little cups (800g to 1kg) bomba rice
• 3 x the amount of rice in fish stock (2.4 to 3L)
• 1 glass of white wine
• salt and black pepper to taste

Method

Cut the veggies into very small pieces (approx 0.5cm) and set aside.

Grate the tomatoes and set aside.

Leave the clams or pippies in a bowl with salted water.

Clean the mussels and set aside.

Set the paella pan well balanced over the appropriate size stove top, add the olive oil.

Fry the prawns and squid first over medium-high heat for up to 3 minutes (not fully cooked), then set aside.

Fry garlic on low heat. When golden, add onions and veggies, stir and let them cook slowly until they are very tender, then add a glass of white wine. When evaporated, add the tomatoes and let them cook slowly. Add salt and pepper.

Increase to mid-heat and add the rice. Stir and roast it for about five minutes.

Add the fish stock and the squid or calamari and stir for about one minute. From then on, do not stir any more. Increase heat to max, adjust salt and pepper to taste.

Drain the pippies and spread them all over the rice, then add the mussels and the prawns.

When the rice absorbs all the stock (10 to 15 minutes), reduce heat to minimum and let it cook for another 5-10 minutes to let the bottom rice roast a bit ('socarrat').

Turn the stove off, cover the paella with foil for 5 minutes then it will be ready to serve.