Paella is a great hearty seafood dish stemming from Spain by adopted by many South American chefs and perfect example of using local seafood.
Paella
While this is not technically a Latin American dish, paella (which of course, comes from Spain) can be found in many South American countries.
The three main ingredients in paella are rice, saffron, and olive oil. These staples can be found in just about every recipe regardless of national origin. The name paella has a few possible roots, but the most likely one is the name of the pan it is cooked in: patella.
The reason for featuring the recipe is in response to a "sustainable seafood recipe" contest hosted in honor of October National Seafood Month.
Why is Paella the Best Recipe for Demonstrating Cooking With Sustainable Seafood?
Paella is a great recipe that allows a lot of flexibility in how you prepare it. This means that no matter where you are, you can find good local ingredients that can be used as a flavoring for this dish.
Besides using locally caught fish, another way to consume seafood responsibly is to use a lot of shellfish. Shellfish are towards the bottom of the food chain and their populations replenish at a faster rate than larger fish.
Seafood is one of the most popular fillings, but chicken thighs (thighs and even sausage can make an appearance in this dish - as they do in this recipe - in replacement of larger white fish like cod or haddock.)
Paella Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 pound of chicken thighs cut into bite sized pieces
- 1 pound chorizo or linguiza sausage, cut into pieces
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 medium white onion, diced
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 cups medium grain rice
- 1 teaspoon saffron threads
- 1 pound cleaned shrimp
- 3 1/2 cups chicken stock (or water in a pinch)
- 12 ounce can of diced tomatoes
- 1/2 pound fresh mussels
- 1/2 pound little neck clams
- 1/2 pound of fresh or frozen peas
- 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley
Optional: a couple fillets of local fish chopped into bite sided pieces, or even lobster or crab claws
Procedure:
- In a large paella pan, or two large skillets, fry chicken and chorizo until browned. Add onion and garlic.
- Add dried rice to the pan and cook until rice becomes slightly browned.
- Add stock and tomatoes (not drained) in and stir in saffron. Cover and cook over low heat until the liquid is absorbed (20-30 minutes).
- Stir in peas and parsley. Top with raw seafood and allow dish to keep cooking covered until the seafood is cooked. The shellfish will open up and the fillets will become flaky white all the way through.
- Garnish with fresh parsley and serve.
