Seafood Paella - Live Learn Lovewell

Ingredients

• Olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 medium red bell pepper, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 4 cups low sodium chicken stock
• 2 cups Spanish or medium-grain rice, uncooked
• Shrimp, deveined (I kept them unpeeled so the shells would give the rice more flavor)
• 0.5 lb mussels, rinsed
• 0.5 lb clams, rinsed
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Lemon for garnish
• Heat a splash of olive oil until shimmering and add onion and bell pepper and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and stir.
• In a separate pot, heat the chicken stock until gently simmering.
• Add ~2 tbsp more olive oil to the onion-pepper mix. Add paprika , cayenne , and tomato paste and fry for about 2 minutes until fragrant.
• Time for rice! Add the rice and stir for 1 min until each grain of rice becomes glossy.
• By the ladleful, add the warm stock to the veggie-rice pan .
• Bring on the seafood! Nestle your mussels and clams into the pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer for 15 minutes.
• After the rice absorbs about 80% of the broth, arrange your shrimp. Cook about 2 minutes per side, then flip to ensure even cooking.
• Remove paella from heat and decorate with lemon wedges.
• Let the pan sit for 5-10 minutes before serving. There should be a crispy socarrat at the bottom of the pan for extra crunch. Enjoy!