Quick and Easy Paella

Consider this a gateway paella and the first step to a serious, lifelong addiction. When I first do a version of a classic dish like paella, I try to use a minimum number of ingredients and steps to focus on technique. After learning the method, you'll ideally use a wider variety of ingredients, like clams, mussels, squid, and chicken, which will make your rice that much more interesting. Garnish with extra virgin olive oil, freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley, and lemon wedges.

• Preparation Time: 15 mins
• Cooking Time: 55 mins
• Total Time: 1 hr 10 mins
• Calories: 476 Calories

Ingredients

• salt to taste
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ cup green peas
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper, or more to taste
• ½ yellow onion, diced
• 1 pound jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined, shells reserved
• ½ teaspoon saffron threads, or more to taste
• 2 ¼ cups chicken broth
• 8 ounces chorizo sausage, sliced into thin rounds
• 1 ⅓ cups Arborio rice

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).

Step 2

Cook and stir reserved shrimp shells and 2 teaspoons olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat until shells are pink and fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir saffron into shells; add chicken broth, bring to a simmer, and cook until broth is a rusty brown and fragrant, about 20 minutes.

Step 3

Strain saffron broth through a fine-mesh sieve; measure out 2 cups of broth, pour into a small saucepan, and place over low heat to keep broth hot.

Step 4

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large, oven-proof skillet over medium heat. Cook chorizo slices in hot oil until browned, about 2 minutes per side. Add onion to sausage; cook and stir until soft and slightly translucent, about 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low.

Step 5

Stir garlic into chorizo mixture; cook and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add rice to skillet and stir to coat rice completely in oil; stir in peas.

Step 6

Pat rice mixture evenly into the bottom of the skillet. Arrange shrimp in a single layer over the top of the rice. Lay pepper strips around and in between shrimp; season with salt, paprika, and cayenne pepper.

Step 7

Increase heat to high. When rice begins to sizzle in the skillet, pour reserved 2 cups hot saffron broth over the shrimp; gently shake the skillet to distribute liquid.

Step 8

Bake rice mixture in the preheated oven until rice is almost tender and still a bit wet, about 20 minutes.

Step 9

Place skillet over medium-high and cook until rice is tender, liquid is absorbed, and rice caramelizes and crusts slightly on the bottom of the skillet, 3 to 5 minutes.