A WEEKDAY PAELLA

 

You can have this paella on the table in less than an hour--perfect for a weekday.

World Paella Day falls this year on an ordinary Monday (Sept. 20). So, instead of a grand, Sunday production for a crowd, I’m adjusting my recipe to make a weekday paella to serve only two.

What makes this a weekday paella? I’ve cut a few corners, making it fairly quick to prepare. Frozen fish fillets, a package of boneless chicken thighs, canned mussels. The sofrito gets short shrift, done in 5 minutes instead of 30. The small pieces of chicken don’t need slow browning. I’ve used canned, crushed tomatoes and reduced them on high heat. (For an authentic Valencia paella recipe, step by step, see The Secret to Great Paella.)

The recipe is for paella Parellada, “boneless” paella, supposedly invented in Barcelona in the 19th century for a finicky diner (his surname was Parellada) who didn’t want to mess with fish spines, shrimp shells and chicken bones. 

It’s a paella mixta, mixed paella, because it includes meat (chicken and sausage), fish (angler) and shellfish (shrimp, cuttlefish and mussels). You can use all of these ingredients or pick and choose among them, according to availability, tastes and prep time. 

Dinner for two, paella rice with fish, shellfish, chicken and vegetables.

Paella Parellada is a "boneless" paella--no shrimp or mussel shells, no fish bones, boneless chicken pieces. 

Boneless Paella

Paella Parellada

This recipe generously serves two, but, as a tapa, starter or light meal, it easily extends to serve four.

Use boneless, skinless chicken thigh or breast, cut into 1 ½-inch pieces. Firm-fleshed, boneless anglerfish is best because it’s so easy to cut bone-free chunks off the center spine. Boneless chunks of any white fish can be substituted. Use cuttlefish, if available. Pieces of squid or whole scallops could substitute. Use cooked and shelled clams or mussels, fresh or canned. Butifarra is a Catalan sausage. If not available, use any pork link sausage. Saffron is optional; pimentón colors the rice. Use grated fresh tomatoes or canned crushed (triturado) tomatoes. Bomba is the best rice for this paella, but any medium, round-grained rice is fine. If possible, use fish or shellfish stock for the liquid to cook the paella. Otherwise, use chicken stock or water.

Ingredients for the paella: in the center are medallions of anglerfish, peeled shrimp, and pieces of cuttlefish. Clockwise from top left: canned crushed tomatoes, Sherry, boneless chicken thighs, Bomba rice, frozen peas, romano green beans, pimentón, Butifarra sausage, canned mussels and diced red bell pepper.

3 tablespoons olive oil

4 peeled jumbo shrimp (2 ½ ounces)

4 medallions of angler fish (6 ounces)

6 ounces boneless chicken, cut in pieces

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

4 slices butifarra or other sausage (1 ½ ounces)

¼ cup diced red bell pepper

¼ cup chopped onion

3 ounces cuttlefish, cut in pieces 

1 teaspoon pimentón (sweet paprika)

Saffron threads (optional)

½ cup crushed tomato

3 tablespoons Sherry

1 cup Bomba rice

2 ¼ cups fish broth

4 romano green beans, cut in 1-inch lengths (2 ounces)

¼ cup frozen peas, thawed

8 canned mussels, drained

For the picada:

2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

1 clove garlic, minced

5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Flaky salt

Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a paella pan on moderate heat. Add the shrimp and fish medallions and sauté, turning once, until they are lightly colored. The shrimp should be completely cooked; the angler, partially cooked. Remove them from the pan.

Add the chicken and slices of sausage to the pan and cook them until browned. Remove them.

dd the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan with the red pepper, onion and pieces of cuttlefish. Sauté 2 minutes until onion is softened. Stir in the pimentón and saffron, if using. Add the crushed tomato and raise the heat to cook off the liquid, 2 minutes. Add the Sherry and cook off the alcohol, 1 minute. Add the rice and stir for 1 minute. Add the broth and bring the liquid to a boil. Cook the paella on moderately high heat for 5 minutes.

Blanch the green beans in boiling water for 2 minutes and drain them. Add the beans to the pan with the reserved chicken and sausage. Stir to distribute all the ingredients, then don’t stir again. Reduce the heat to moderate and cook 10 minutes. 

Place the pieces of fish in the rice. Place the shrimp on top. Scatter the peas over the rice. Place the mussels around the edge. Cook until the rice is al dente and the liquid absorbed, about 4 minutes more.

Add parsley picada.

While the paella is cooking, make the picada. Combine the parsley, garlic, olive oil and salt. 

Remove the paella from the heat. Spoon some of the picada mixture over the top. Cover the pan with a cloth or sheet of foil and allow the paella to rest 5 minutes before serving. Accompany with remaining picada.

Allow paella to stand 5 minutes before serving.