Paella is a regional Spanish rice dish, similar to a pilaf cooked over an open fire, saffron. Coastal areas would of course add seafood; inland chicken and sausage would provide the protein. A very traditional version uses rabbit and snails. These two ingredients are likely to be found only in higher-end restaurants in America but in other parts of the world have been savored by villagers for centuries.
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| monkfish |
This particular evening my friend Patrick invited a small group over for Sunday supper, paella with mussels and monkfish. Monkfish also known as poor man’s lobster is a wonderful inexpensive fish. Whole it is very ugly with a face that would scare babies but skinned and filleted it cuts into delicious, buttery, sweet chunks of flesh that holds up well in this kind of cooking. The mussels like all shell fish bring a taste of the sea with a salty brine from the juices but sweet meat.
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| Sofrito |
The base of paella is sofrito and rice. Sofrito is finely diced onion, bell pepper, and garlic mixture sautéed in a little oil until melded. This flavor profile reminds us of the Spanish influence in Cajun cooking. The rice must be short grain to absorb the liquid and give the plump texture desired. The best rice to use for this is calaspara.
A good broth is equally important to bring out the richness but this is the case with so many foods. Start with a good base, boiled down from the things so many people take for granted and discard: shrimp shells, vegetable scraps, meat bones, whatever is appropriate for the end result.
The broth is added all at once, perhaps after a splash of wine. And then you wait for the right balance of absorption for the rice to soften and plump. Paella is cooked in a low-sided and a broad pan to distribute the heat evenly, encouraging a crunchy soccorat crust, outside over a fire. Trying to get the heat source just right can be tricky and we used a combination of stove top to get things started with the sofrito before moving out side to sit in the lilac scented air.
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| Broth |
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| Spanish Smoked Paprika |
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| Add seafood close to the end of cooking |
Deepened with pinches of saffron and smoked paprika the two essential indulgences of the dish, fennel, salt and pepper. Green peas and roasted red pepper bring a bright freshness to round out the meal. We sat around the pan eating communally, happily lit by candlelight and conversation. This instance of paella party did not result in the desired crispy bits on the bottom but personally I am happy to eat as much paella as it takes to get it just right.
