Shrimp & Sausage Paella
This recipe has many deviations from traditional paella, so be forewarned! However, if instructions are followed, you will have a nice socarrat.
Servings 2 people
Equipment
- Paella pan for 2 (if you have it, otherwise use a skillet).
Ingredients
- 1 pinch saffron threads soak in ¼ cup hot chicken broth
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 onion chopped
- 1/2 red bell pepper diced
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil more or less, depending on your preferences
- 1/2 cup tomato puree
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 2 cups chicken broth low or no sodium
- 1 cup rice short rice is preferred; I use same rice as risotto
- 12 raw jumbo shrimp peeled and deveined
- 1-2 spicy sausages roasted on grill, then sliced into rounds
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley chopped, add to taste
- lemon slices
- sea salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Soak a pinch of saffron threads in ¼ cup warm chicken broth. Then, prepare your ingredients, mince 3 cloves of garlic, dice 1/2 an onion, dice 1/2 of a red bell pepper. Reserve 12 raw jumbo shrimp that have been peeled and deveined.
- Grill the sausage and cut into pieces.
- Heat a paella pan or large frying pan on medium-high heat and add 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil; once the oil is hot add the onions and garlic and saute for 1 minute; add the red bell pepper, mix and cook for 3 minutes, then add 1/2 cup of tomato puree, season everything with a generous 1/2 teaspoon of smoked paprika; continue to cook for 2 minutes, then add ½ cup wine and the saffron, gently mix everything together. Add hot chicken broth. You can stop at this point to enjoy a glass of wine (or whatever you want to do).
- Bring the broth to a boil. Add 1 cup of rice to the pan and gently distribute the rice throughout the pan with a wooden spoon, do not mix the rice. Cook for 5 minutes and then add the shrimp. Cook for another 5 minutes and then lower the fire to a low-medium heat (do not mix the rice after this point, you can give the pan a quick shake once in a while)
- After simmering for 10 minutes there will be very little broth left, turn the fire back to a medium-high heat for 1 minute; this is to make the socarrat (burnt rice on the bottom of the pan), then turn off the heat. Add petits pois, if you’re into that sort of thing, and the sausage pieces. Cover the paella pan completely and let it rest between 5-7 minutes.
- Uncover the paella, garnish with freshly chopped parsley and a couple of lemon wedges.
Notes
We really like this dish, but it is not considered authentic. We eat paella at Socarrat Paella Bar on Second Avenue in New York City. The owner even showed us the "correct" way to eat it! But I say "dig in" because there's no wrong way in my world.