Choose flawless signature and classic paella recipes here. Try out variations of the dish with all kinds of seafood, different fish, chicken, rabbit, ham, vegetables and mushrooms. Fast and doable with whatever you have on hand — that's the motto of a real paella!
Every Spanish home cook makes paella their own way, and each variation is considered "the most correct." Amid all the variety of ways to make paella, there are only a few essential conditions: a wide-bottomed paella pan, properly chosen rice, and saffron, without which it will simply turn into porridge. Medium-grain Spanish rice varieties are recommended for cooking: "Bomba," "Calasparra," "Valencia" and "Granza." "Iberica" and "Arborio" work well too. And our usual round-grain rice won't spoil the dish either. As for the choice of the other ingredients, that depends on your own taste and preferences.
The five most commonly used ingredients in paella recipes:
| Product | Calories per 100g | Protein g per 100g | Fats g per 100g | Carbohydrates g per 100g |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olive oil | 913 | 0 | 99.8 | 0 |
| Rice | 344 | 6.7 | 0.7 | 78.9 |
| Tomatoes | 23 | 1.1 | 0.2 | 3.8 |
| Bell pepper | 27 | 1.3 | 0 | 5.7 |
| Green peas | 55 | 3.6 | 0.1 | 9.8 |
An interesting recipe:
1. Heat the olive oil thoroughly in a wide-bottomed pan.
2. Toss in finely chopped or pressed garlic and diced onion. Lightly fry.
3. Add peeled, roughly chopped tomatoes and thin rings of chili pepper to the onion and garlic.
4. Put the chicken meat, cut into cubes, into the pan with the vegetables and, stirring, fry for about 5 minutes.
5. Add chorizo rounds, pieces of fish, squid, octopus, shrimp and mussels. Simmer for 6–8 minutes.
6. Add the rice. Season with salt and spices (saffron, curry, cardamom, paprika, etc.).
7. Pour in the broth and wine. Cook over low heat until the liquid has fully boiled away.
8. Serve, sprinkled with fresh herbs and lemon.
The five fastest paella recipes:
| Name of the dish | Cooking time | Calories per 100g | User rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paella, a delicious dinner in 40 minutes | 40 min | 176 | +89 |
| Chicken paella | 40 min | 145 | +90 |
| Paella with vegetables | 45 min | 101 | +205 |
| Red rice paella with vegetables and cheese | 50 min | 203 | +22 |
| Spanish shrimp paella | 1 hour | 141 | +50 |
Useful tips:
• In the classic recipe, the rice is not soaked before cooking paella.
• Expensive saffron can be replaced with curry seasoning.
• For vegetables, it's best to use green peas, juicy bell pepper and green beans. Hot pepper and canned corn can be added.
• If you have no ready broth and not enough time to make it, it's better to pour ordinary water over the paella than to use bouillon cubes.