Spanish seafood paella is the ultimate one-pot meal full of rice, smoky chorizo, and a variety of delicious seafood! This easy paella recipe features chorizo, mussels, and shrimp, but you can easily swap or add more seafood like clams, calamari, or scallops! If you have a family of seafood lovers, Spanish seafood paella is always a great dinner choice!
Seafood, Chorizo & Rice Paella Recipe
Paella is a wonderful dish for large gatherings. In Spain, paella pans can be the size of small tables for chefs cooking for a crowd. It’s easy to scale up or down depending on how many people are joining you or how many leftovers you want!
I love the mix of chorizo, mussels, shrimp, clams, calamari, and scallops! A splash of white wine and lemon juice with some garlic and onion packs a flavorful punch!
Jump to:
- Seafood, Chorizo & Rice Paella Recipe
- 🥘 Ingredients
- 🔪 How To Make Spanish Seafood Paella
- 💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Recipe Notes
- 🥡 Storing & Reheating
- What Is A Paella Pan?
- Can You Make Paella Without Seafood?
- What Is The Difference Between Paella And Jambalaya?
- 🎣 More Flavorful Seafood Dishes!
- 📖 Recipe Card
- 💬 Comments & Reviews
🥘 Ingredients
There is a long list of seafood in this that really makes it a standout. Make sure to get the freshest you can find for the best flavor. *Saffron, if not at your nearest grocery store, can easily be ordered online.
- Chorizo - 4 ounces, casings removed.
- Onion - ¼ cup, thinly sliced.
- Garlic - ½ teaspoon, thinly sliced.
- Canned Diced Tomatoes - ½ cup.
- Arborio Rice -1 cup.
- Saffron Threads - 1 pinch of saffron threads dissolved in 2 tablespoons of water.
- Water -1 ½ cups.
- Salt & Pepper - To taste.
- Olive Oil - ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil.
- Large Shrimp - 1 pound, peeled and deveined.
- Dry White Wine - ¼ cup dry white wine like Chardonnay.
- Fresh Lemon Juice - 1 tablespoon.
- Mussels - ½ pound, scrubbed and debearded.
- Fresh Parsley - 1 tablespoon, chopped.
- Green Onion - 1 green onion, thinly sliced.
- Steamer Clams (optional) - ½ a pound of steamer clams, scrubbed and rinsed.
- Calamari (optional) - ½ pound of calamari.
- Bay Scallops (optional) - ½pound of bay scallops.
*Be sure to see the recipe card below for ingredients, amounts & instructions!*
🔪 How To Make Spanish Seafood Paella
There are quite a few steps involved in making paella, but they are easy to do and well worth the effort. You’ll need a paella pan or skillet, a wooden spoon, and a slotted spoon to begin.
- Brown the chorizo. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Heat a large oven-proof skillet (or paella pan) over medium heat and cook 4 ounces of chorizo. Use a wooden spoon to break up the sausage as it cooks. Continue until some of the fat has rendered and the chorizo is browned, about 4 minutes.
- Saute onion and garlic. Reduce the heat to low and add ¼ cup of onion and ½ a teaspoon of sliced garlic. Stir often until tender and starting to brown, or roughly 8 minutes.
- Add rice. Stir in a ½ cup of canned diced tomatoes, 1 cup of arborio rice, 1 ½ cups of water, and 1 pinch of saffron threads dissolved in 2 tablespoons of water. Season to taste with salt and pepper and bring to a boil.
Simmer & Add Seafood
- Simmer. Cover the pan and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 15 minutes or until the rice is al dente and the liquid has been absorbed.
- Cook the shrimp. As the rice simmers, heat ¼ cup of olive oil in a skillet over high heat until it is shimmering and hot. Season 1 pound of shrimp with salt and pepper then add it to the skillet. Cook cook for 3 minutes, or until pink, and flip it once at the halfway point.
- Discard oil. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the shrimp to the prepared rice and discard the oil.
- Cook shellfish. Wipe out the shrimp pan with a paper towel and return it to the stovetop over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and ¼ cup of white wine followed by a ½ pound of mussels. (The optional ½ pound clams, ½ pound calamari, and/or ½ pound of bay scallops can be added at this point if using). Cover and cook, shaking the pan frequently until the mussels open up (about 3 minutes).
Combine & Bake Before Serving
- Combine. Add the cooked mussels (and any of the optional proteins) as well as their juices to the shrimp and prepared rice.
- Garnish and serve. Cover your paella and place it in the oven to bake for 5 minutes or until heated through. Then, garnish with 1 tablespoon of parsley and 1 sliced green onion and serve.
Garnish with parsley and green onions, if desired, and serve with fresh fruit salad, Greek salad, or Caprese salad for a refreshing, light summer treat. Chewy, rustic bread also makes a great addition. Enjoy!
💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Recipe Notes
- You can use fresh or diced tomatoes. ½ cup of canned diced tomatoes is approximately 3.5 ounces, or use fresh diced tomatoes.
- Add cooked chicken. Diced chicken can be added to the paella as well. Use 1 ½ cups. I prefer dark meat for my paella.
- Saffron powder can replace threads. If you only have saffron powder on hand, 10-15 saffron threads are equal to between ⅛ and ¼ teaspoon of powder.
- Don’t throw out the socarrat! Don’t worry if some rice sticks to the bottom of the pan. It’s all good. The layer of crispy rice stuck to the bottom of the skillet is called socarrat and is a delicious part of most traditional paellas.
🥡 Storing & Reheating
Remove any shells before storing and allow paella to cool fully before placing it in the fridge in a shallow airtight container. Your leftovers are best enjoyed within the first 1-2 days, but can be refrigerated for up to 3-4 days.
Reheating Leftover Paella
Preheat your oven to 300°F (150°F) and place the Spanish seafood paella in a baking dish. Sprinkle broth or water over the top and tightly cover with foil. Bake for 15-25 minutes or until hot.
What Is A Paella Pan?
Paella comes from the Valencia region of Spain and is a local word that comes from the Latin word for “pan”. A paella pan is wide and shallow because it is designed to maximize surface area.
This creates more space for the evaporation of the liquid in the dish and is vital for forming a socarrat, the crispy layer of rice that gets toasted on the bottom of the pan.
Can You Make Paella Without Seafood?
Absolutely! There are many variations of paella to enjoy, many of which use non-seafood sources of protein both vegetarian and with meat. Chorizo and chicken are a popular combination for the latter.
Traditional paella used to consist of snails, rabbit or duck, and broad beans, so whatever your preferences, there’s a paella for you.
What Is The Difference Between Paella And Jambalaya?
Both are delicious rice dishes with a mix of proteins, but there are two main differences: the rice and the seasonings. Short-grain rice is used in paella while long-grain rice is used in jambalaya. In paella, saffron flavors the dish while turning it a beautiful yellow shade.
Jambalaya is based around the “holy trinity”: celery, onion, and green bell pepper. Depending on if you’re making the Cajun vs Creole version, it will be red–from the addition of tomatoes–or brown, respectively.
While the Louisianan dish is usually spicy, the Spanish dish is mild and can contain wine for extra flavor.
🎣 More Flavorful Seafood Dishes!
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📖 Recipe Card
Spanish Seafood Paella
Ingredients
- 4 ounces chorizo (casings removed)
- ¼ cup onion (thinly sliced)
- ½ teaspoon garlic (thinly sliced)
- ½ cup canned diced tomatoes
- 1 cup arborio rice
- 1 pinch saffron threads (dissolved in 2 tablespoons of water)
- 1 ½ cups water
- each, salt & pepper (to taste)
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 lb large shrimp (peeled and de-veined)
- ¼ cup dry white wine
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ½ lb mussels (scrubbed and de-bearded)
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley (chopped)
- 1 green onion (thinly sliced)
- ½ lb steamer clams (optional - scrubbed and rinsed)
- ½ lb calamari (optional)
- ½ lb bay scallops (optional)
(Note: 2x or 3x only changes the ingredient list)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Heat a large oven-proof skillet or paella pan over medium heat and cook the chorizo. Use a wooden spoon to break up the meat as you cook for 4 minutes or until some of the fat has rendered and the chorizo is browned.
- Reduce the heat to low and add the onion and garlic. Stir often until softened and starting to brown, roughly 8 minutes.
- Stir in the diced tomatoes, arborio rice, and water with dissolved saffron. Season to taste with salt and pepper and bring to a boil.
- Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 15 minutes or until the rice is al dente and the liquid has been absorbed.
- Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a skillet over high heat until it is shimmering and hot. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper then add it to the skillet. Cook until pink, about 3 minutes, flipping just once halfway through.
- Use a slotted spoon to transfer the shrimp to the prepared rice and discard the oil.
- Use a paper towel to wipe out the shrimp skillet before returning it to the stovetop. Add the lemon juice and white wine followed by the mussels. (The optional clams, calamari, and/or bay scallops can be added at this point if using). Cover and cook, shaking the pan frequently until the mussels open up (about 3 minutes).
- Pour the cooked mussels (and any of the optional proteins) as well as their juices over the prepared rice.
- Cover your paella and pop it in the oven to bake for 5 minutes or until heated through. Remove it from the oven, garnish with parsley and green onions, and serve.
Notes
- ½ cup canned diced tomatoes is approximately 3.5 ounces, or use fresh diced tomatoes.
- Cooked chicken can be added to the paella as well, use 1 ½ cups of cooked and diced chicken. I prefer dark chicken meat for my paella.
- If you only have saffron powder on hand, 10-15 saffron threads is equal to between ¼ and ⅛ teaspoon of powder.
- Don't worry if some rice sticks to the bottom of the pan, it's all good. The layer of crispy rice stuck to the bottom of the skillet is actually called socarrat and it is a delicious part of most traditional paellas.
- Remove any shells before storing and allow paella to cool fully before placing it in the fridge in a shallow airtight container. Your leftovers are best enjoyed within the first 1-2 days, but can be refrigerated for up to 3-4 days.
- Preheat your oven to 300°F (150°F) and place the Spanish seafood paella in a baking dish. Sprinkle broth or water over the top and tightly cover with foil. Bake for 15-25 minutes or until hot.
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