Seafood Paella

This is my first try at making a seafood paella - so I used the easiest recipe from goodfood.com.au and modified it slightly.

I was told that ideally the rice should form a thin crust at the base giving the paella a smoky flavour.  I didn't get the crust this time around - so I will have to keep trying! :-)  The taste was very good.

Ingredients:

 700 g   seafood marinara mix (I had salmon, scallops, mussels, prawns and squid in my marinara mix)

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, diced

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 large red capsicum (pepper), chopped

2 teaspoons chilli powder 

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

2 tomatoes, diced

1 tablespoon tomato paste 

1 cup baby green peas

400 g (2 cups) calasparra rice - washed

125 ml (1/2 cup) dry sherry

1.25 litres (5 cups) chicken stock

3 tablespoons chopped parsley 

3 tablespoons chopped chives

lemon wedges, to serve

Method: 

1. Wash and keep the seafood in the fridge, covered, until ready to use.

2. Heat the oil in a paella pan or a large deep frying pan (about 32 cm/13 inch diameter) with a lid. Add the onion, garlic and capsicum to the pan and cook over medium heat for 2 minutes, or until the onion and capsicum are soft. Add the chilli powder,  turmeric and 1 teaspoon salt and stir-fry for 1–2 minutes, or until aromatic. Add the tomato and cook for 5 minutes, or until soft. Add the tomato paste. Stir in the rice until well coated.

3. Pour in the sherry and simmer until almost absorbed. Add the stock, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes, or until almost all the liquid is absorbed into the rice. Fluff up the rice occasionally with a fork to separate the grains.  (The instructions on the rice pack advise you to go by 1 cup rice to 3 cups liquid)

4. When the rice is cooked, add the seafood marinara mix and the green peas and cook for a further 5-8 minutes.  The fish and prawns should flake easily when tested with a fork. The squid should be white and tender. Cook for another 2–3 minutes if the seafood is not cooked, but avoid overcooking as the seafood will toughen and dry out.  Finish by adding the chives and parsley in and mixing well.

Serve hot with a squeeze of lime juice.