Paella Mixta
Author: 
Recipe type: Main Course
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 6
 
The seasonings in this paella mixta are simple - saffron, garlic, salt and pepper - allowing the natural flavors of the meats and seafood to shine.
Ingredients
  • 2 cups medium-grain rice
  • 2-3 threads of saffron, to color
  • ¼ tsp paprika, to taste
  • 1 cup warm water
  • 1 cup white wine
  • 2½ cups chicken broth
  • 3-4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 medium-sized onion, chopped
  • Salt, to taste
  • Black pepper, to taste
  • ½ cup green peas
  • ½ cup red pepper, chopped
  • 1 tomato, chopped
  • 2 chicken breasts or chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
  • The juice of 1 lemon
  • Garlic powder
  • 6 mussels
  • 8 shrimp, rinsed and de-veined
  • 2 links of chorizo or other sausage, cut in chunks
  • Chunks of scallop or cod
  • Olive oil
Instructions
  1. Cut the raw chicken into bite-sized cubes.
  2. Marinate the chicken pieces with the juice of ½ of a lemon, ¼ tsp salt, ¼ tsp black pepper and ¼ tsp garlic powder for at least 1 hour.
  3. Rinse the mussels and remove the beards. (If you gently tug on the strands coming out of the side of the mussel shell, pulling out and up, the beards will come right out.) Place the mussels in a large bowl.
  4. Cover them with cold water and stir in ¼ cup flour.
  5. Let the mussels soak for 15-20 minutes.
  6. The flour mixture will help remove the dirt and sand from the mussels.
  7. Rinse and scrub off the flour and any remaining dirt.
  8. Lightly coat a pan with olive oil.
  9. Cook the sausage until it is browned on all sides and cooked through.
  10. Set the meat aside.
  11. Once it has cooled enough to handle, slice the sausage into thick chunks.
  12. In the same pan, cook the chicken until it is lightly browned and cooked all the way through.
  13. Set the cooked chicken chunks aside.
  14. Place the shrimp, scallops and cod on a broiling pan that has been brushed with olive oil.
  15. Sprinkle with a dash of black pepper, salt and garlic powder.
  16. Broil for 2-3 minutes on each side, until the seafood is cooked. T
  17. he shrimp will cook faster than the scallops and fish so you will need to flip them and ultimately remove them from the oven sooner than the other seafood.
  18. Squirt the cooked seafood with lemon juice and set aside.
  19. Dissolve the saffron threads in 1 cup warm water.
  20. In a paella pan or other large shallow pan, sauté the chopped garlic, onion and peppers in 1 Tbsp olive oil over medium heat until translucent.
  21. Add the rice and stir the mixture until the rice is fully coated with oil.
  22. Add the wine and stir the rice until the wine is almost completely absorbed.
  23. Then add the saffron-colored water and the stock.
  24. Let the rice simmer, allowing it to absorb the liquid.
  25. When the rice is almost fully cooked but there is still some liquid on the surface, add the mussels, burying them in the rice so that they will fully cook.
  26. Stir in the green peas, chopped tomatoes and all of the previously-cooked meats.
  27. Let the paella finish cooking until the rice is done and the socarrat has formed on the bottom of the pan.
  28. The rice should be al dente - tenderly crunchy - and not mushy.
  29. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  30. Garnish with lemon slices if desired.
Recipe by Itsy Bitsy Foodies at http://itsybitsyfoodies.com/paella-mixta/