Authentic Spanish Paella

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. Sauté 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.