Paella, My Thoughts on Successful Paella Making

From the vast variety of one-pot meals, paella is one of the world’s most famous and most delicious. It can be colorful and complex, containing all sorts of seafood, meats and vegetables, or simple and unpretentious, consisting only of a few ingredients, as it, most likely, traditionally was.

To me, a great paella is the one that has three attributes:

(1) fluffy and moist rice, tender but al dente; the consistency and texture of rice in paella is quite unique; it’s neither like pilaf nor risotto though the cooking technique have some elements of both.

(2) perfectly cooked proteins: sausage, meat, poultry, fish and seafood. This may pose a challenge because all of them require different times to get cooked to their perfect doneness and all the cooking happens in one cooking vessel;

(3) depth of flavor (or layers of flavor, if you will) meaning that every bite should give your palate something new to enjoy.

Here are my thoughts on how to cook paella that exhibits all three of the attributes.

My understanding of successful paella making can be summed up in eight principles, sort of Noble Eightfold Path to achieve perfect paella:

1. Right pan
2. Right rice
3. Right ratio of liquid to rice
4. Right cooking technique for rice
5. Right amount of rice
6. Right treating of ingredients
7. Right order of introducing ingredients
8. Right heat

Let’s explore them in details:

1. Right pan.

Traditionally paella has been cooked in a special wide shallow pan called paella or, sometimes, paellera, which gave the name to the dish itself. The majority of paella pans are made of either carbon steel or stainless steel. Light, thin, with cute green or red enameled handles, they are very good looking. Unfortunately, their heat conductivity is not as good. This makes them useful for the traditional cooking method - outdoors on an open fire at least as big as the bottom of a pan. However, in present day households, on a regular electric stove they get overheated easily because electric burners tend to heat and cool slowly. Also, since burners are usually no larger than 8 inches in diameter, it’s challenging to cook rice evenly in a paellera whose bottom is, as a rule, much wider than that. This also concerns not very powerful residential gas stoves.

My suggestion is to leave carbon steel and stainless steel for the summer months when you can cook paella outdoors on a grill or on a special paella tripod. During other seasons, stick to pans made of materials with better heat conductivity such as aluminum and copper. All-clad, Calphalon, Circulon; non-stick or regular, it’s your choice. Non-stick is easier to work with; a regular surface would be more authentic and will give your paella a nice socarrat.

When you cook rice on a high heat on a thin metal surface, its lower level sticks to the bottom and becomes golden brown and slightly crispy. This naturally forming rice crust is known as socarrat.  Some people think that socarrat is an indispensable part of paella and gives it an extra dimension, both in flavor and texture, and extra charm. Some think of it as of an unavoidable annoyance that should be left where it belongs - on the bottom of a pan.

Nowadays, with the invention of non-stick cooking surface, socarrat is not unavoidable any more. However, if you belong to the camp of socarrat lovers (like me), you can get it even in a non-stick pan. I’ll discuss it later.

2. Right rice

 For me, the best and most important part of paella is rice. When cooked, it should be fluffy, with separate grains; tender, but not mushy; cooked evenly all over. No matter how perfect are other ingredients, improperly cooked rice can turn paella into a disaster.

When buying rice for paella, look for short to medium grained round rice that stays relatively firm when cooked. Lots of stores (and amazon!) nowadays offer Spanish  paella rice such as “Matiz bomba rice” or “Matiz paella rice”. In Seattle, check Spanish Table, Central Market (they also carry Valencia paella rice in bulk), PFI and other stores.  

I made my first paella with Arborio, which is said to be the closest substitute for Spanish rice. Despite being starchier than Spanish rice, it turned out quite good.  Since paella is cooked unstirred, starches in Arborio stay undisturbed (at least, mechanically) and, with the right ratio of liquid, this rice can yield very satisfying results.

3. Right ratio of liquid to rice

Besides the quality of rice, its proportion to liquid is of no less importance. Add more stock than needed and you’ll get mushy paella.

The most commonly suggested ratio is 2 cups liquid to 1 cup rice. But I recommend starting with 1.6 - 1.7 cups liquid to 1 cup rice. Also, if using lots of “wet” ingredients such as tomatoes and onions, reduce the amount of stock used.

If you see that your paella is turning too dry, add a splash or two of hot stock and let cook a bit longer.

4. Right cooking method for rice

There’re two approaches on how to introduce rice to paella. One approach is to sprinkle rice in an even layer _after_ adding liquid. Another is sautéing rice in oil together with aromatics _before_ adding liquid just like you would do for risotto. Even though, the first method can produce fluffy rice (if done right), the second one is more reliable because rice gets coated with oil all over, which helps keep grains separated.  Even out the rice with a spatula after adding liquid so it cooks evenly. Don’t stir paella anymore or the rice will become mushy.

5. Right amount of rice per paella pan volume

It’s easy to use right amount of rice in traditional shallow paella pans – they will just not let you put more than needed. However, if using a different cooking vessel, make sure that the layer of cooked rice is no thicker than 1 inch. 

Traditionally, it was supposed to be even shallower – no more than one finger thick. There is simple logic in it:  in a light-bottomed metal pan over high heat, the thinner the layer of rice, the more evenly it cooks. This holds true for modern pans as well.

6. Right approach to the ingredients (building the flavor)

Even though the rice is a major (and the only indispensable) player in paella, it doesn’t mean that other ingredients are not important. They create the flavor and should be chosen thoughtfully and prepared properly.  

Good paella is not a kitchen sink sort of dish; on the contrary, paella is at its best when it’s done according to “less is more” principle. Of course, a mixed paella can be lots of fun: loaded with variety of meats, sausage, shellfish and/or seafood along with lots of vegetables, it is colorful and crowd pleasing. But this show is mostly for paella neophytes.

When making paella with just a few ingredients, your task is to pick up the best and make each of them shine. I strongly recommend marinating proteins (meat, poultry, seafood) before cooking. This creates depth of flavor. Also, make sure to take proper parts and cuts. If using chicken, go for thighs or drumsticks, preferably bone-in, rather than boneless breast as they have more pronounced flavor and don’t turn dry as fast. For the latter reason, it’s also better to use prawns with shells on. On the other hand, you can peel them and use shells for making stock.  Choose seasonal vegetables when they are at their best. Use stock (chicken, fish, from seafood shells) instead of broth. Use spices and herbs.

Another layer of flavor comes from caramelization of ingredients. That is, from browning sugars on the surface of ingredients by frying or sautéing them. So don’t just sweat onions and chorizo for your paella; rather, let them get some color (and flavor!) by cooking them on higher heat.

Don’t skip on fat! The fat is the best conductor of flavor. That’s why fatty/oily foods are usually tastier and juicier than leaner ones. In paella, fat comes from a cooking oil and natural fat in proteins.

7. Right order of ingredients

Though paella is a one-pan dish, it doesn’t mean that all ingredients are put there at once and cooked together for the same amount of time. Making paella is like conducting an orchestra. Everything should be done in right sequence and in right time. Remember, rice and each protein require a certain time to be cooked perfectly. So you should add at them to the pan accordingly.

The procedure is roughly as follows: Start heating stock/broth/cooking liquid. At the same time, in a paella pan start browning proteins that need to be browned such as chicken, rabbit, etc. Remove the browned proteins and set aside. (If you leave them in the pan now, while adding other ingredients, they will be definitely overcooked when the whole paella is done.)

In the same paella pan, sauté aromatics such as onions, garlic, chorizo, peppers, spices etc. Add rice and sauté stirring for a minute or two until well coated with oil.

Add hot stock and even out the rice. Let simmer for about 3-4 minutes and arrange longer-cooking proteins such as large chicken/rabbit pieces on top. Proceed with cooking. If using clams and mussels and not afraid that they are sandy, put them on top of paella about 10 minutes before the end of cooking. Add faster-cooking ingredients at the end. I usually add prawns about 5 minutes before the end of cooking. Small bay scallops go in last, about 2 minutes prior the end of cooking, together with squids.

8. Right heat
   

When cooking paella outdoors on a large open fire, its heat is enough to cook paella evenly on all sides, including the top. When cooking paella indoors, for even cooking I recommend using both stove top and oven. All the browning and sautéing is done on top of the stove. When paella is assembled and starts simmering, transfer it to a preheated oven. You can cover a pan with foil right away or halfway through cooking time.

When paella is done, transfer the pan back to the stove top and cook on a high heat 1-2 minutes to make sure that all the water has evaporated and socarrat has formed on the bottom. Let rest several minutes and put on the table right in the pan.

 

Comments

[Chris J]

I sold Spanish imported foods, paelleras, and other items for a couple of years and consequently, I can say that this is one of the best descriptions on how to prepare Paella ever. Well done. Personally I'm not a fan of placing the paellera in the oven to finish as stovetop or butano has always worked for me.

I liken making Paella to making an omelet,usually something made on the spur of the moment. But of course, I would always have Paella rice, sausage, etc. available in the pantry or freezer. One time I actually used bacon as a pork 'substitute' and it went markedly well with the shrimp.