This fantastic paella recipe was kindly given to us by Jon-Robert Fell (pictured above). Jon is Headchef at The Green Room Restaurant at Rosehill Theatre, Whitehaven, Cumbria. To follow Jon on Twitter click here Paella is a great dish for sharing with friends and it is easy to alter the ingredients to suit availability.
Why we love this
This is the sort of recipe that earns its place in the middle of the table: colourful, generous, and made for people to lean in, help themselves, and talk for a little longer.
What you'll need
Gather everything first, then the cooking feels calmer.
- 170g chorizo cut into slices
- 110g pancetta, cut into thin slices
- 2 cloves garlic - finely chopped
- 1 large Spanish onion - finely chopped
- 1 red pepper - diced
- 1 tsp fresh thyme
- 2 fresh red chillies - chopped
- 570ml calasparra risotto rice
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 125ml dry white wine
- 1.2ltr chicken stock
- a good pinch of saffron
- 2 chicken breast fillets
- 18 clams
- 18 good sized mussels (cleaned)
- 110g frozen peas
- 4 large tomatoes - chopped
- 125ml good olive oil
- 1 head garlic peeled and chopped
- a little olive oil
- 12 Langoustines
- 450g squid cleaned and thinly sliced
- handful of chopped parsley
- salt and pepper
- Make sure that the mussels have been cleaned and prepared - for instructions to do this click here
- Fry the pancetta, chorizo, garlic, onion, red pepper, chilli, thyme and the chicken to release all the flavours for about 5 minutes
- Add the rice, paprika and wine and cook for 2 minutes
- Add the chicken stock and chopped tomatoes and cook for a further 10 minutes
- Add the langoustines and cook for 6-7 minutes.
- Meanwhile heat some oil in a pan and fry the garlic and squid for 1 minute and then add to the paella
- Sprinkle with the chopped parsley
- Taste and season with salt and pepper
- Serve and enjoy! - Paella is best served with the dish as a center piece allowing your guests to help themselves
Cook along
Take it step by step; seafood rewards a calm hand.
- 1
Make sure that the mussels have been cleaned and prepared - for instructions to do this click here
- 2
Fry the pancetta, chorizo, garlic, onion, red pepper, chilli, thyme and the chicken to release all the flavours for about 5 minutes
- 3
Add the rice, paprika and wine and cook for 2 minutes
- 4
Add the chicken stock and chopped tomatoes and cook for a further 10 minutes
- 5
Add the langoustines and cook for 6-7 minutes.
- 6
Meanwhile heat some oil in a pan and fry the garlic and squid for 1 minute and then add to the paella
- 7
Sprinkle with the chopped parsley
- 8
Taste and season with salt and pepper
- 9
Serve and enjoy! - Paella is best served with the dish as a center piece allowing your guests to help themselves
Make it Different
Paella is a great dish for altering the ingredients and experimenting. If, for example, you don't like squid, leave it out and add an alternative seafood.
Missing Ingredients?
It is always the best option to use fresh local ingredients so see what you can find at the local fishmongers - if they don't have something that is listed, substitute it or add more of what you can get.
Serve it with
Serve straight from the pan with lemon wedges, a green salad, crusty bread and something cold to drink.
