Mediterranean Paella with Shrimp and Mussels with homemade chicken stock

👨‍🍳 Method

For the homemade chicken stock ✓ Homemade · or skip – back to store-bought

1. 1
   Put the chicken, the onion, carrot, celery, parsley, bay leaves and peppercorns and the water in a pot and bring to a boil. Skim off the foam that rises during the first 15 minutes with a spoon.

   StovePot
2. 2
   Turn down and simmer gently 2.5–3 hours.

   Stove

   💡A gentle simmer, not a boil: a hard boil dries the food out and clouds it, a slow simmer cooks it evenly.
3. 3
   Strain the stock.

   Colander

For the Fried onion

1. 4
   Heat the olive oil in a wide paella pan over medium-high heat.

   StoveFrying pan
2. 5
   Add the onion and fry 5 minutes, stirring now and then, until the onion is soft and translucent and starts to turn golden at the edges. If it browns too fast, lower the heat.

   Stove

   💡Add by cooking time: what needs long (onion, carrot, meat) goes in first, and what burns fast (garlic, dry spices) goes in last, only until fragrant.

To assemble

1. 6
   Add the garlic and red pepper and fry 3 minutes, until the pepper softens.

   Stove
2. 7
   Add the tomatoes and cook 3 minutes, until softened.

   Stove
3. 8
   Add the rice and the turmeric and smoked paprika and stir 2 minutes, until all the grains are coated in tomato.
4. 9
   Add the chicken stock and the saffron water, season with salt and black pepper and bring to a boil.

   Stove
5. 10
   Turn down to low, cover and simmer 15 minutes. Scatter the shrimp and mussels on top, cover again and cook another 8–10 minutes, until the mussels open.

   StoveLid
6. 11
   Turn off the heat and leave covered 5–10 minutes.

   💡Don't open the lid during cooking: the steam is what cooks the top layer. A towel between the pot and the lid absorbs the drips, so the rice doesn't get soggy.
7. 12
   Gently stir in the parsley.
8. 13
   Gently fluff with a fork and serve with the lemon wedges.