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Paella With Seafood Recipe

Name: Open Sesame Lebanese Grills Paella With Seafood Recipe
Cook time: 1 h 5 min
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Spanish
Ingredients: 12 pieces shrimp, peeled and deveined; 12 pieces mussels, scrubbed and debearded; 200 g calamari rings; 300 g boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1" pieces (optional); 100 g Spanish chorizo, sliced (optional); 2 cups short-grain paella rice (Bomba or Calasparra); 4.5 cups seafood stock or low-sodium chicken stock; 0.5 tsp saffron threads; 2 tbs hot water (to bloom saffron); 3 tbs extra-virgin olive oil; 1 cup yellow onion, finely diced; 1 cup red bell pepper, thinly sliced; 4 cloves garlic cloves, minced; 1 cup roma tomato, grated (or 1/2 cup canned crushed tomato); 0.75 cup frozen peas, thawed; 1 tsp smoked paprika; 1 tsp sweet paprika; 1.25 tsp salt; 0.5 tsp black pepper; 4 pieces lemon wedges (for serving); 2 tbs fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish)

Inspired by Open Sesame Lebanese Grill

Time1h 5m

Serves4

Make Paella With Seafood Recipe in just 1h 5m. Get the full recipe with step-by-step instructions at pekinthechef.com.

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Ingredients

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Seafood & Proteins

12 pieces Shrimp, peeled and deveined

12 pieces mussels, scrubbed and debearded

7.05 oz (200 g) calamari rings

10.6 oz (300 g) boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1" pieces (optional)

3 1/2 oz (100 g) Spanish chorizo, sliced (optional)

Rice & Broth

2 cups short-grain paella rice (Bomba or Calasparra)

4 1/2 cups seafood stock or low-sodium chicken stock

1/2 tsp saffron threads

2 tbs hot water (to bloom saffron)

Vegetables & Aromatics

3 tbs extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup yellow onion, finely diced

1 cup red bell pepper, thinly sliced

4 cloves Garlic cloves, minced

1 cup roma tomato, grated (or 1/2 cup canned crushed tomato)

3/4 cup frozen peas, thawed

Spices & Seasoning

1 tsp Smoked paprika

1 tsp sweet paprika

1 1/4 tsp Celtic sea salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

4 pieces lemon wedges (for serving)

2 tbs Fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish)

Method

Prep

Clean and prep seafood

Rinse mussels under cold water, discard any with open shells that don't close when tapped. Pat shrimp and calamari dry. If using chicken, cut into 1-inch pieces and pat dry. Slice chorizo if using. Grate the tomato or measure crushed tomato.

Bloom saffron

Place saffron threads in a small bowl with 2 tablespoons hot water and let steep for at least 10 minutes to release color and aroma.

Cook proteins and sofrito

Brown chicken and chorizo (if using)

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large paella pan or wide heavy skillet over medium-high. Add chicken pieces (season lightly with 1/4 tsp salt) and brown 3–4 minutes until golden but not fully cooked through. Push to one side, add chorizo and cook 1–2 minutes until it releases oil and color. Remove chicken and chorizo to a plate and set aside.

Sear seafood (optional partial cooking)

Add another tablespoon oil to the pan. Quickly sear shrimp 30–45 seconds per side just until opaque and transfer to plate with proteins. Do not overcook—seafood will finish later. Wipe pan if it develops excess residue.

Make the sofrito

Reduce heat to medium, add remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Sauté diced onion until translucent, about 4–5 minutes. Add sliced red pepper and cook 3 minutes more until softened. Stir in minced garlic and cook 30 seconds until fragrant. Add grated tomato and cook 4–5 minutes, stirring, until mixture reduces and darkens slightly. Stir in smoked and sweet paprika and cook 30 seconds to toast spices.

Build the paella

Add rice

Evenly add 2 cups paella rice to the sofrito and stir for 1–2 minutes to coat the grains with oil and tomato, toasting lightly.

Add broth and saffron

Pour 4.5 cups hot seafood/chicken stock into the pan. Stir in the saffron and its soaking liquid. Season with remaining salt and black pepper. Bring to a steady simmer over medium-high heat.

Simmer without stirring

Once simmering, reduce heat to medium-low so the liquid bubbles gently. Arrange reserved chicken and chorizo (if using) evenly across the rice. Do not stir from this point. Cook uncovered for 12 minutes, rotating the pan as needed for even heat. If some areas dry too quickly, gently tip a little stock from edges back toward them.

Add seafood and peas

After 12 minutes, nestle calamari rings into the rice along with mussels (hinge side down) and shrimp, pushing them slightly into the rice so they steam. Sprinkle the thawed peas over the surface. Continue cooking 6–8 more minutes until most of the liquid is absorbed, mussels have opened, shrimp are opaque, and rice is tender but not mushy. If the top is still too wet but rice cooked, raise heat briefly for 1–2 minutes to develop a thin socarrat (crispy bottom) —listen for gentle crackling—being careful not to burn.

Finish and serve

Remove pan from heat. Cover loosely with foil or a large lid and rest 5 minutes to allow flavors to settle and any remaining steam to finish cooking mussels and shrimp. Discard any mussels that did not open.

Garnish with chopped parsley and arrange lemon wedges around the paella. Serve directly from the pan, instructing diners to squeeze lemon over their portion.