Pescatarian paella
A vibrant seafood paella with prawns, mussels and squid, saffron-scented rice and a punchy sofrito — perfect for sharing.
This pescatarian paella packs all the seaside theatre of a Spanish weekend into one pan — shellfish, squid and prawns mingled with saffron-scented rice and a punchy tomato sofrito. It’s a brilliant social dish: make it on the hob in a wide pan and let the crusty socarrat do the talking.
Make it for a midweek feast or for guests; it looks impressive but is straightforward if you keep the stock hot, don’t over-stir and give it a short rest at the end so the flavours settle.
Ingredients
- 320 g paella rice — use bomba or calasparra if available
- 1.2 l fish stock — keep hot
- 0 g saffron threads — a generous pinch
- 30 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 1 brown onion — large
- 4 garlic cloves — peeled and finely sliced
- 1 red pepper — seeded and sliced into thin strips
- 2 ripe tomato — grated (skins discarded)
- 100 g frozen peas — no need to thaw fully
- 200 g squid rings
- 300 g king prawns, peeled and deveined
- 500 g mussels, scrubbed and beards removed
- 5 ml smoked paprika
- 100 ml dry white wine
- 1 lemon — cut into wedges
- 15 g fresh parsley — chopped
- 5 ml sea salt — plus extra to finish
- 5 ml black pepper — freshly ground
Equipment
- paella pan or large wide frying pan
- large saucepan (to heat stock)
- ladle
- wooden spoon
Instructions
Heat the fish stock in a large saucepan until just simmering. Remove from the heat, add the saffron threads and set aside to steep for 15 minutes so the stock takes on colour and aroma.
Meanwhile prepare the other ingredients: finely slice the brown onion, thinly slice the garlic cloves, cut the red pepper into thin strips, grate the ripe tomato and rinse the mussels. Pat the king prawns dry with kitchen paper and pat the squid rings dry.
Place a paella pan or large wide frying pan over a medium heat. Add the extra virgin olive oil and once hot, add the brown onion and garlic cloves. Sweat gently until soft and translucent, about 7 minutes.
Add the red pepper and cook for a further 3 minutes until slightly softened.
Stir in the grated ripe tomato and the smoked paprika. Reduce the heat and simmer the mixture into a thick sofrito, about 8 minutes.
Add the paella rice to the pan and stir for 1–2 minutes so each grain is coated in the sofrito and slightly toasted.
Pour in the dry white wine to deglaze the pan and bubble for about 2 minutes until the alcohol has mostly evaporated.
Carefully pour the hot saffron-infused fish stock into the pan (use all of it). Season with the sea salt and black pepper. Increase the heat to bring to a steady simmer, then reduce so the surface bubbles gently. Arrange the squid rings, mussels and king prawns evenly over the rice and scatter the frozen peas on top. Simmer uncovered without stirring for 16 minutes, or until the rice is just tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed.
Once the rice is cooked, remove the pan from the heat and cover loosely with a clean tea towel or a lid. Leave to rest for 5 minutes — this helps the flavours settle and the short crust to form on the base.
Scatter the chopped fresh parsley over the paella, drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil, and serve with lemon wedges to squeeze over at the table.
Tips
- Keep the fish stock hot while you cook — adding cold stock shocks the rice and lengthens cooking time.
- Do not rinse paella rice; the surface starch helps the socarrat form and keeps the grains separate.
- If you want a stronger saffron colour, bloom the threads in a little warm stock before adding to the pan (we already steep them to maximise flavour).
- For confidence with timing: check the rice at 14 minutes — if there’s still a lot of liquid, raise the heat briefly for 1–2 minutes to encourage evaporation.
- Leftovers reheat well in a wide pan over a low heat with a splash of stock; the socarrat won’t fully return but flavour remains excellent.
Substitutions
paella rice → arborio rice, same quantity
Noticeably differentking prawns, peeled and deveined → cooked prawns, add in the last 2–3 minutes only
Stays closemussels, scrubbed and beards removed → clams (such as cockles), same quantity
Stays close
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 590
- Calories
- 32 g
- Protein
- 86 g
- Carbs
- 15 g
- Fat
- 6 g
- Fibre
- 6 g
- Sugar
- 850 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I make paella ahead of time?
You can prepare to the point of simmering, cool quickly and refrigerate. Reheat gently with a little hot stock; add delicate seafood near the end so it doesn’t overcook.
How do I get the socarrat (crust) without burning?
Keep an even, fairly high heat in the final minutes so the bottom browns slowly; if you smell burning, lift the pan briefly off the heat. A short rest off the heat helps the crust to set.
My rice is still hard after the cooking time — what now?
If the rice is undercooked and liquid is gone, add 100 ml hot stock, cover and cook a further 3–4 minutes. Avoid stirring during this time.
Can I use frozen shellfish?
Yes — thaw in the fridge, pat dry and add according to cooking times: frozen pre-cooked shellfish should be added at the end; raw frozen shellfish will need the full cooking time after thawing.
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