Spanish Paella Recipe

Ingredients - Serves 6

  • 500g Risotto rice
  • 1 Glass dry white wine
  • Shellfish stock appx 1.5 litres
  • 12 Raw king prawns
  • 24 peeled cooked prawns
  • 12 Mussels in the shell or half shell
  • 200g white fish, cod, haddock or similar small diced pieces
  • 100g Squid rings
  • 100g Chorizo sausage sliced
  • 50g fine beans in small pieces
  • 1 Onion finely sliced and chopped
  • Olive Oil (not extra virgin)
  • 1 red pepper finely chopped
  • 1 green pepper finely chopped
  • Pinch of saffron

How to cook Paella

You will ideally have a large paella pan, if not a good cast iron frying pan will be ok. Cover the pan with the olive oil and bring to a medium heat and fry the onion until translucent.

Sliced chorizo sausage

Now add the peppers and stir for a further 2 minutes. When preparing peppers remove all the seeds and the white parts because they impart a bitter flavour.

Stir onions and peppers

Soak the saffron in a little warm water to release the colour and flavour. Now add the rice and saffron water and stir for 2 minutes.

Add the Rice



and stir in well

Add the glass of wine then just cover the rice with the stock and turn the heat up high. The rice will absorb the stock and wine flavours. Follow the advice with the rice packet but usually the rice will be cooked in 17-30 minutes. Half way through add your seafood and other ingredients and stir them into the rice to cook through.

Cover with stock

Traditional paella is not stirred too much during cooking in order to allow the bottom rice to burn creating a "socarrat" which is a crunchy layer of rice. If you do not want this just stir the rice and have it your way.

Nearly ready

Serve in the cooking paella pot on the table

and serve.


There are many ways to amend this dish if you like or dislike certain ingredients. Chicken is useful if some diners are not so keen on fish

Add optional chicken.

Also remember to keep the fresh seafood well chilled in the fridge or on ice.

Keep it chilled.