Subscribe to BBC Good Food magazine and get triple-tested recipes delivered to your door, every month. The stigma of a type of crocus, saffron threads have a pungent and distinctive aroma and flavour…. To make the stock, heat the oil in a large pan over a medium-high heat and add the onion, tomatoes, garlic, and reserved prawn shells and heads. Cook for mins, then pour in 2 litres of water and add the stock cube and star anise. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 30 mins.
This is the dramatic seafood paella that looks stunning, with crustaceans and shellfish. You can vary the quantities of seafood and also use crab, crayfish, or lobster boil them separately. Andresito, who is collecting reminiscences of people in villages around him in Alicante, told me that on the Alicante Coast, fishermen's families made seafood paellas without any vegetables. When they did not go out to fish, they made arroz de piedras with mollusks from the rocks piedras means rocks. The fishermen went around local villages selling their fish on scooters, and people inland added vegetables.
Nourishing, vibrant, and served without pretension, paella has held a place of honor and practicality in Spanish homes for centuries. If mussels aren't your favorite, you can easily substitute littleneck clams in their place--just be sure to thoroughly scrub the clams' shells in cold water before using. To prepare paella, combine water, saffron, and broth in a large saucepan.
This saffron-infused easy seafood paella with shrimp and lobster is a simpler take on traditional paella with fewer ingredients and no special pan. Be sure to check out the video and step-by-step tutorial for this foolproof seafood paella recipe. According to this History of Paella article , paella combines the Roman and Arabic cultures as Arab conquerors introduced rice in Valencia.