Authentic Spanish Paella - salt

Method

• Note: To cook the paella recipe you need a paella pan or a large wide-based pan (16-20 inches wide, for 4 6 people).
• 1.
• Soak clams in a medium bowl with 1/2 tablespoons of salt and 1 cup of water for 20 minutes to get the sand out.
• Then wash clams.
• Set aside.
• 2.
• Clean, de-beard and wash mussels.
• 3.
• Put mussels in a stock pot without water.
• Heat the stock pot and wait until the majority of them have opened up (4-5 minutes).
• You can reserve any liquid from the pot to add it to the fish stock.
• 4.
• Remove 8 mussels from the shells and reserve 4 with the shell to garnish over the top of the paella.
• Set both aside.
• 5.
• Peel and chop garlic cloves.
• 6.
• Cut chicken thighs into 2 inch chunks and sprinkle it with ground black pepper and salt.
• Set aside.
• 7.
• Heat the paella pan over medium heat with 4 tablespoons of olive oil.
• When warm add the chicken thighs and for 5 minutes on each side or until golden.
• Then set chicken aside.
• 8.
• Place 1/2 teaspoon of salt and a bunch of saffron threads in a mortar.
• Use a pestle to grind.
• 9.
• Add garlic to the paella pan and cook over medium heat for 2-3 minutes.
• 10.
• Peel and grate tomato and add it to the paella pan.
• Saute for 4-5 minutes over medium heat.
• 11.
• Add squid rings and cook for 3-4 minutes.
• 12.
• Add washed clams, shrimp, chicken thigh chunks and the mussels (the ones without the shells) and cook for 7-8 minutes.
• 13.
• Add rice and stir for 1-2 minutes more.
• 14.
• Add a little of the the fish stock (warm) to the mortar to dissolve the saffron mixture and then add it and the rest of the fish stock to the paella pan.
• 15.
• Bring the paella pan to a boil then cook over low heat for 5-7 minutes.
• 16.
• Arrange the prawns, the reserved (shell on) mussels and some roasted red pepper strips over the top and cook for 13-15 minutes more.
• Rice should be cooked in 18-20 minutes in total or according to your package instructions.
• 17.
• Remove from heat and set aside for 8-10 minutes to form a crust.
• 18.
• Serve immediately and enjoy your Spanish paella.