Easy Shrimp Paella

A friend took me to a Paella demonstration dinner one evening in Half Moon Bay where we had a glass of wine (one glass, but we filled it a few times) and watched the guy cook three batches, one vegan, one seafood and one with meat. It was fun and the paella was pretty good, not quite Spain worthy, but good and we learned a few techniques. I researched some recipes and then found the one from Cooks Illustrated (where they do all of the research for you) and tweaked it a little for this one. I don’t have the big paella pan but was fine using my trusted Le Creuset.

I had some paprika from Spain and some Spanish Chorizo to add in. I prepped most of the ingredients in the morning, then put it all together when the Fam came home from snowboarding. The recipe called for Clam Juice instead of Chicken Broth and it was a great substitution for this seafood version. The original recipe called for a can of diced tomatoes, drained, but I used fresh, seeded as well as chopped red pepper. The original also didn’t include the chorizo, so I’m sure its delightful without, but I loved it added in. I looks like a lot of ingredients, but it is still pretty darn easy.

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon Vegetable Oil
• 1 1/2 lbs. Extra Large Shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 3 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 3/4 lb. Spanish Chorizo, sliced
• 3 teaspoons Sweet Paprika
• Salt
• 1 Medium Onion, chopped fine
• 6 Medium Garlic Cloves, thinly sliced
• 6 Sprigs Fresh Thyme
• 1 (14.5 oz) Can Diced Tomatoes, strained (I used 3 medium tomatoes, seeded and diced)
• 1 Red Pepper, diced
• 1 1/2 Cups Paella or Arborio Rice
• 2 (8 oz.) Bottles Clam Juice
• 2 Cups Water
• Ground Pepper
• 3  Green Onions, sliced thin on the bias
• 1 Lemon, cut into wedges

Directions

• Toss shrimp with 1 teaspoon of paprika, 1 Tablespoon olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
• Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium high heat until it is smoking. Add half of the shrimp in a single layer and cook for 30-45 seconds until speckled brown. Flip the shrimp and cooked until speckled, another 30-45 seconds. Remove to a bowl and repeat with remaining shrimp, cover bowl with foil and keep warm.
• If using Chorizo, add to pan and saute for a minute or two on each side to brown. Remove to bowl with shrimp to keep warm.
• Add remaining 2 Tablespoons of olive oil, the onion, garlic, thyme and 1 teaspoon salt to the empty skillet. Cook, stirring frequently, until softened and beginning to brown, 3-5 minutes.
• Stir in the remaining paprika and cook until fragrant, about 30-45 seconds.
• Stir in tomatoes, peppers, rice clam juice and water. Once the liquid comes to a boil, reduce heat to medium low and cook WITHOUT COVERING
• Now the hard part, RESIST THE URGE TO STIR, and let cook until rice is tender, about 18 minutes.
• Add the shrimp and chorizo, spreading it around and tucking it in the rice. Cover and cook for 2-3 minutes until heated through.
• Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle the green onions over the top.
• Serve immediately, taking the skillet to the table along with lemon wedges.

From our Half Moon Bay dinner: