FEATURE RECIPE
Seafood paella with alioli

Seafood paella with alioli

Try a few glasses of chilled manzanilla while preparing this Spanish classic.

Serves 4



Paella
750 gm   squid, cleaned, tentacles left whole and tubes thickly sliced
1 tsp   sweet paprika
100 ml   extra-virgin olive oil
1.5 litres (6 cups)   fish stock
1 kg   chicken breast and thighs, cut into 6cm pieces
2 tsp   saffron threads
600 gm (3 cups)   Calasparra rice (see note)
12   black mussels, scrubbed and bearded
4 (about 400gm)   scampi
Alioli
6 cloves   garlic
4   egg yolks
500 ml (2 cups)   extra-virgin olive oil
½   lemon (juice only)
Sofrito
125 ml (½ cup)   extra-virgin olive oil
2   onions, thinly sliced
2   fresh bay leaves
1 tsp   sweet paprika
1 tsp   white sugar
5   vine-ripened tomatoes, coarsely grated


1 In a large bowl, combine squid, paprika and 1 tbsp oil, season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and mix well. Refrigerate until required.
2 For alioli, place garlic and 1 tbsp sea salt in a mortar and, using a pestle, pound to a fine paste. Add egg yolks and mix with pestle until mixture turns a pale yellow. Add oil in a steady stream, mixing, until mixture thickens. Stir in lemon juice and 2 tbsp water and refrigerate until ready to use. Makes 2 cups.
3 To make sofrito, heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and sauté for 10 minutes or until golden. Add bay leaves, paprika and sugar and cook for 3 minutes. Season to taste, add tomato and simmer for 20 minutes or until sauce thickens and tomato is soft. Transfer to a bowl.
4 Heat fish stock in a saucepan over medium heat until boiling, then remove from heat.
5 Heat remaining oil in two 24cm paella pans or thin-based pans over medium heat, sautè chicken for 5-7 minutes or until golden but not cooked through. Transfer to a bowl. Add squid, cook for 3 minutes and transfer to bowl.
6 Divide sofrito between pans, cook for 2 minutes, add half the stock and half the saffron to each pan and bring to the boil. Add half the rice to each pan and cook for 5 minutes. Add chicken and squid to pans, cook for 5 minutes or until liquid is almost absorbed, then add shellfish and cook for 8-10 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed. Cover each pan with a cloth and stand for 5 minutes. Serve with alioli.

Note Calasparra rice is a short-grain rice available from delis and gourmet food stores.

RECIPE Andy Harris PHOTOGRAPHY Ben Dearnley STYLING Andrea Millar

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