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Valencian Seafood Paella

📍 Spain
⏱️Prep: 30 min
🔥Cook: 25 min
Total: 55 min
🍽️4 servings
Difficulty: Alta

Valencian seafood paella is cooked in a wide paella pan over high heat: bomba rice absorbs a rich seafood broth spiked with saffron, smoked paprika, and fried tomato. What sets it apart is the socarrat — the toasted crust of rice at the bottom achieved by turning up the heat at the end. You never stir it; you let the paella do its thing.

🛒 Ingredients

4 servings
  • 400g bomba rice or D.O. Valencia
  • 500g shrimp or prawns
  • 500g mussels
  • 2 crayfish
  • 200g squid in rings
  • Fish and seafood broth
  • Homemade fried tomato
  • Smoked paprika, saffron, salt, olive oil

👨‍🍳 Step-by-step instructions

  1. Heat oil in a large paella pan. Sear the seafood and set aside.

  2. Sauté the squid. Add smoked paprika and tomato. Sauté for 5 minutes.

  3. Add hot broth (twice the volume of the rice) and saffron.

  4. When it boils, add the rice, distributing it evenly.

  5. 15-17 minutes of cooking without stirring. High heat at first, moderate at the end.

  6. In the last 2 minutes, turn up the heat for the socarrat. Let it rest for 5 minutes.

💡 Chef's tip

Never stir the paella once the broth is added. The socarrat forms at the bottom and is the best part. Listen for a gentle crackle in the last 2 minutes.

📝 Our take

The seafood paella is technically harder than the Valencian classic because you're balancing three cooking times: the rice, the shellfish, and the prawns, which overcook in seconds. The socarrat (the caramelised rice crust at the bottom) is the goal that separates a good cook from a great one — it needs heat control and confidence.

🍷 Wine & food pairing

Dry Valencian white or an Albariño from Galicia. The brininess of the seafood needs a wine with acidity and body. Estrella Damm beer is also a classic pairing.

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