With strong and intense flavors, paella is a rich traditional dish. It is filled with different kinds of spices and tastes very salty because of the quantity of seafood added. Usually, it is prepared with clams, prawns, fish, squid, and mussels. However, there are a variety of versions to prepare this wonderful dish. Instant pot paella is a one-pot meal, and it helps make a family dinner very exciting, and the saffron flavored rice mixed with different kinds of vegetables and meat comes from the traditional Spanish cuisine.
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What types of rice go well with instant pot paella?
Arborio is the most appropriate grain to be used for paella because it is a short grain. The basic idea of making a perfect paella has short grain. Having short-grain rice makes the cooking process quicker and achieves the iconic texture for paella – short grains are excellent.
If you don’t find arborio rice, you can also use bomba or Arroz rice. These are used in Spanish countries. It is a heritage if you know the dish risotto, then any rice that is used for risotto is actually suitable for paella also because it gives a very creamy texture to the dish; however, when you make paella rice, it is not washed in the beginning in order to keep the starch; therefore, it is first toasted.
Seafood paella Recipe.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced
- salt & Pepper
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 cups paella rice
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 14 oz diced fire-roasted tomatoes
- 1/4 dry white wine
- 1 tsp saffron
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 3/4 lb deveined shrimp
- 5 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1/2 lb clams
- 1/2 lb black mussels
- lemon & parsley for garnish
Directions:
- Firstly get mussels and clams and wash them. You can cover them with ice and refrigerate them. This helps in preventing odor.
- On medium heat, put a pan and add olive oil. Next, put the onions and let them turn translucent. Add the garlic and peppers and stir fry them for 2 minutes.
- Add ready-made or homemade tomato paste, paprika or any chili powder, salt and pepper as per taste and saute everything until uniformly cooked for 2 minutes. Let them not burn so keep the heat on low to medium flame.
- Add rice and stir for a few minutes.
- Now pour white wine that helps in deglazing the pan. It will also extract all the spices’ juices and bring great flavor to the rice.
- Next, add roasted tomatoes, chicken broth, lemon juice, and saffron. You can add Saffron to the chicken broth before mixing it, check for the taste, and add salt if required.
- Lastly, put frozen peas and combine everything.
If you are a pro at it, you can jiggle the pan or slowly stir with the spoon so that the rice evenly spreads. Don’t mix too hard because it might break the rice.- Let the heat be on high until the water bubbles now reduce the heat to lowest flame and allow to cook for at least 7 to 8 minutes.
- Now add shrimp on top of the rice mixture and transfer to grill. Cook in pre-heated grill on 375 Fahrenheit for 20 to 30 minutes.
- Now without stirring, slowly add the mussels and clams into the mixture and keep it for another 5 minutes.
- Check if the water is absorbed and if the rice is cooked properly. If the rice is not completely cooked, you can add water or broth and cook until it is completely done.
- Remove the pan from the grill and cover it with a lid in order to keep the steam inside the pan.
- Put a kitchen towel on top of the lid and allow it to rest for another 5 minutes.
- To serve, garnish the paella with lemon wedges and parsley.
Let us also check out the vegan process, a healthy version.
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 940 ml vegetable broth, low sodium
- 1 teaspoon saffron threads
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
- 5 cloves garlic, chopped, minced, or crushed
- 1 large tomato, diced (sub ½ cup canned)
- 277.5 g Bomba Rice (sub arborio rice)
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 0.5 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon sea salt, more to taste
- Fresh cracked Pepper, to taste
- 2 sprigs of fresh thyme (sub 1 teaspoon dried)
- 108.75 g frozen peas, thawed
- Garnish (Optional)
- Lemon wedges
- Fresh-cut parsley
Directions:
- Start by adding saffron and vegetable broth to the pan and simmer on medium-high heat once it bubbles, lower the heat, and keep it warm.
- Stir fry onions and peppers in a pan, add garlic to the onions and peppers and allow it to turn golden color.
- After 1 minute, add tomatoes and spices on low flame allow the tomatoes to wilt.
- Add the rice and toast for 1 or 2 minutes on low flame.
- Add the boiled broth to the rice and simmer it after the rice is completely coated with the onions, peppers, and garlic juices. Be careful do not to stir harshly.
- Allow the rice to cook for 15 to 20 minutes. Once the rice is cooked and you get aroma from it, test if the rice is completely cooked by dipping a fork to the bottom of the pan. Be careful not to burn the rice.
- Remove the rice from the heat and add peas on top of it. Cover it with a lid and allow it to rest for 5 to 8 minutes.
- Garnish the dish with freshly cut lemon wedges and cilantro. You can make it spicier by adding juliennes of bell peppers.
How to bring the perfect texture to paella?
The first step is to have ideal short-grain rice like arborio or bomba; next is an expensive ingredient that is very useful and essential in making paella authentic, saffron. The other two are healthy and nutritious ingredients, which are turmeric and clarified butter.
Bringing the authenticity of Spain, this luscious dish is an incredible recipe that comforts every foodie’s tastebuds. People from all parts of the world enjoy this amazing dish, and it can be made in different ways. It is very easy to prepare because the ingredients can be found easily at any grocery store. It can be made in a very elegant manner or kept very simple.
