Paella mixta (Spanish Paella with seafood and meat)

Paella (the word directly translates to “pan”) is a Valencian dish combining short grain rice with meat (or seafood), vegetables, and seasoning.

The additions to Paella may vary based on the area and family, but there are three basic versions: Paella Valenciana (with meat), Paella de Mariscos (with sea food), Paella Mixta (which is a combination of the first two) and Paella Negra

We tried the "pealla mixta" because we couldn't decide between meat and sea food!

What do you need

3 cups vegetable or chicken broth

1 e 1/2 cups short grain Spanish rice

1/4 teaspoon saffron

1/8 teaspoon Pimentón smoked Spanish paprika

1 medium onion

2 garlic cloves

200 gr boneless chicken cut into bite size pieces

200 gr bonless rabbit or pork cut into bite size pieces

1 red pepper cut into strips

1 yellow pepper cut into strips

100 gr green peas

100 gr green beans

1/2 pound small-medium shrimp shelled

4 squids

20 clams

16 mussels

6 jumbo shrimp with shells

2 e 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1/4 cup dry white wine

salt to taste

1 lemon cut into wedges for garnish (Optional)

How to proceed

First of all start preparing the individual ingredients: the broth according to our recipe, cut the peppers and green beans, open the clams and mussels and preserves the cooking liquid (but remember to leave six mussels closed for final decoration), clean the squid, keep the tentacles and cut the bag into rounds. Cut the meat into small pieces. Remember to get a large pan that can also cook in the oven or the traditional Spanish iron pan. Put the pan on the heat with plenty of oil and start cooking the vegetables. When they are cooked, remove them from the pot and store them in a warm container. In the same pan cook the shelled shrimp and squid then put them warm. Finally cook the meat and keep it warm.

Add to the broth the cooking liquid of mussels and clams, saffron and paprika and stir so that the spices melt

In the same pan fry the onion and garlic and toast the rice blending it with white wine.

Add the vegetables, meat and seafood previously cooked and cover with spicy broth.

At this point you should add salt but be careful: if the broth is already salted you will probably not need any addition!

Place the jambo shrimp and cover the pan with a lid suitable for the oven or with aluminum foil.

Cook for about ten minutes, being careful not to overcook the rice. It is not easy to establish in advance the cooking time and the amount of broth to be added because it varies from rice to rice. The advice we can give you, in case you are planning a paella with friends, is to try the recipe in advance. While the pan is in the oven, open the last mussels and cut the lemon. When it is ready, garnish with a splash of parsley.

Your paella is ready to be served!