Paella

Originating in the rice-growing areas on Spain’s Mediterranean coast, the dish is especially associated with the region of Valencia. Paella takes its name from the paellera, the utensil in which it is cooked, a flat round pan with two handles; paella is traditionally eaten from the pan. Paella takes quite a long time to make. So I decided to use Trader Joe’s Paella. First off, I was pleasantly surprised at how easy this is to make. Simply heat up a pan and toss the paella into it. You’ll want to cook it for about four minutes covered, then remove the lid and stir and cook for a few more minutes. When it’s done cooking, the shrimp should be opaque and the rice should be cooked through. Once it reaches that point, it’s ready to be served! I didn’t find any large shrimp, chorizo, meat, scallops, or chicken in this meal. So I added my own colossal shrimp, sea scallops, New Zealand mussels, beef, chicken thigh meat, and andouille sausage. All this is the backbone of this dish’s flavor. The mussels are rich and potent, and their flavor will seep into every element of this dish. That gives the whole thing a very seafood-y flavor. There are some veggies mixed in as well, but they have less of a presence than the seafood. So I added peas, red and orange bell peppers. This is a tasty meal that will really knock a seafood craving on its butt. 

Thank you for trying this recipe. Please let me know how you liked it. 

If you enjoyed this recipe, please take a look at other recipes on my Fast, simple and good rice page.