Chefs Binge · Spanish · Serves 4 servings

Paella with Prawns & Chorizo

Prawns and chorizo in one wide pan, with bomba rice toasted in the chorizo fat before the stock goes near it. Left alone at the end so the base catches into socarrat.

Prep

15 min

Cook

35 min

Total

50 min

Serves

4 servings

Per serving

400 kcal

Ingredients

300 g Chorizo - sliced

250 g King Prawns - You can use raw, frozen.

250 g Bomba Rice - Spanish Paella Rice

2 Bell Peppers - small dice

200 g White Mushrooms - sliced

2 Onions, medium size - small dice

3 Garlic cloves - minced

600 ml Vegetable Stock

250 g Cherry Tomatoes - halved, about 15, or 2 medium tomatoes deseeded and cut into wedges

1 tbsp Paprika - Hungarian Szeged for the best quality

1 tsp Turmeric

1 tsp Ground cumin

1 pinch Saffron

1 Lime - juice only

1 handful Parsley - (optional for garnish)

2 tbsp Olive oil - for frying (no need if chorizo releases a lot of fat)

Equipment

Hybrid Non Stick Frying Pan

Method

Sauté Chorizo. In a large paella pan or a wide frying pan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over high heat. Add chorizo slices and fry until they start to crisp, about 3-5 minutes. Keep the chorizo in the pan.

Cook Onions and Vegetables. Reduce the heat to medium and add onions to the pan with chorizo and cook for about 5 minutes until they become translucent. Then add bell peppers and mushrooms, cooking until they soften, about 5-7 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook for another minute until fragrant.

Toast the Rice. Add the Bomba rice to the pan, stirring to ensure it’s well coated with the oils and juices. Cook the rice for about 2 minutes until it starts to become translucent. Stir in paprika, turmeric, ground cumin, and a pinch of saffron.

Simmer with Stock. Pour in the vegetable stock and bring to a simmer. On a hob, put the lid on to start with so the whole pan comes up to temperature evenly, then take it off once it is properly bubbling. Let it simmer gently for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to even out the heat.

Add Tomatoes and Prawns. Add the halved cherry tomatoes and nestle the king prawns into the rice. Continue to cook for an additional 10-15 minutes, uncovered, or until the prawns are pink and cooked through and the rice is tender. Do not stir from this point on. For the last minute or two turn the heat up to develop the socarrat: listen for the crackle and stop as soon as the smell turns from toasted to sharp.

Season and Rest. Remove the pan from the heat. Squeeze in the juice of one lime and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover the pan back with a lid and let it rest for 5 minutes.

Garnish and Serve. Sprinkle the paella with chopped parsley for a fresh finish. Serve directly from the pan, scraping right down to the base so each portion includes some of the socarrat, the caramelised and slightly crisp layer of rice that forms at the bottom.

Chef’s notes

Leave the chorizo fat in the pan. It is orange with paprika and it is what colours the rice.
Toast the rice before any liquid goes in, until the grains look glassy at the edges. The coating of fat is a large part of why the grains keep their bite.
Stop stirring once the stock is in. Stirring rubs starch off the grains and gives you risotto rather than paella.
On a hob, lid on to start with, then off once it is bubbling. The lid brings the pan up to temperature evenly; leaving it on afterwards is the one thing that will stop a socarrat forming. Turn the heat up for the last minute or two, go by the crackle and the toasted smell, and cover it again only to rest.
The mushrooms and tomatoes release water on top of the stock, so if yours are very ripe hold back the last 50 to 100 ml and add it only if the pan dries out early.
A wide pan matters more than the right pan. Keep the rice no more than a couple of centimetres deep, and move the pan around over a domestic ring.

chefsbinge.com/paella-with-prawns-chorizo

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