This delectable seafood paella recipe with juicy shrimp, chewy mussels, and tender octopus will bring Spanish fine-dining straight to your kitchen. It has all the traditional elements, like tender saffron rice, but only takes 45 minutes!
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Why I Love This Seafood Paella Recipe
The sweet veggies and saffron infused rice perfectly compliment the savory seafood, creating this irresistible traditional Latin dish! This seafood dinner recipe is one that’s been passed down for generations and always hits the spot. Whenever we have a night away from the kids (who are notoriously picky eaters), we like to treat ourselves to this classic paella. Check out just a few of the reasons we love it so much:
- Family Recipe: This is my Abuela’s paella recipe! Each bite is filled with traditional flavors, juicy seafood and tender rice infused with saffron. There are MANY variations to Paella! Please be respectful that my recipe may be different from yours!
- One Pot: You can use a paella pan or a large skillet, but either way — you will only need to dirty one pot making this classic.
- Quick: While traditional paella can take as long as 5 hours, this recipe only requires 45 minutes!
- Hearty: Loaded with shrimp, mussels, octopus, peppers, peas, and lots of tender yellow rice, no one is leaving the table hungry.
- Ideal For Gatherings: Serve paella directly from the pan, allowing everyone to help themselves to as much paella as they desire. It always feeds a crowd!
Looking for more Latin classics? Try this classic arroz con pollo, juicy pernil and caldo de pollo!
What Is Paella?
Paella is a traditional rice dish from Valencia, Spain. Its main characteristic is the yellow, saffron-infused rice cooked with vegetables and different proteins. The bottom of a paella has a layer of crispy toasted rice, called socarrat, that is arguably the best part! Cooked in a special rice pan called “paellera”, paella is made in large batches to share with friends and family for lunch or dinner.
For add-ins, seafood like shrimp, mussels, clams, and octopus are quite common. Some kinds of paella even have chicken and spicy chorizo. Veggies like peas, carrots, and bell peppers are added too for even more flavor.
Key Ingredients
You only need a tiny bit of saffron but it makes all the difference. Scroll down to the recipe card below for the full ingredient list and exact amounts!
- Olive oil: Feel free to use avocado oil.
- Vegetables: Fresh garlic, yellow onion (or a white onion, red bell pepper and frozen peas. If using canned peas instead, rinse and drain them well.
- Seasonings: Smoked paprika, seafood bouillon (or chicken bouillon) and saffron threads. If necessary, substitute 1 teaspoon saffron powder.
- Stock: Use low-sodium seafood or veggie stock. Chicken stock will also work.
- White Wine: It needs to be dry. Sweet wines will make the rice taste strange.
- Paella Rice: Spanish paella Bomba rice is best, but Calasparra rice or arborio rice will work too. You want to use a short-grain or medium-grain rice. Do not use a long-grain rice.
- Shrimp: Use medium or large shrimp. Avoid cocktail shrimp.
- Mussels: Feel free to use pre-cooked.
- Octopus: Fresh or frozen. You can also use squid!
How to Make Classic Seafood Paella
Make sure the veggies are softened so that they don’t taste raw or feel under-cooked when the seafood paella is done. Below is a quick recipe overview, but please scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for full instructions.
- Sauté: Add the olive oil to a large round pan over medium-high heat. Sauté the onion, garlic, and bell pepper, until softened.
- Season: Mix in paprika, saffron, and bouillon. Add the stock and white wine. Bring to a low boil.
- Simmer: Stir in the rice and simmer it. Avoid excess stirring while you cook the rice and do not cover it. This allows the rice to create a crispy golden rice layer at the bottom of the pan.
- Seafood: Place the shrimp, mussels, octopus, and peas on top of the rice. Slightly cover the pan to prevent mushiness, but still retain heat. Continue to cook paella until the shrimp turns pink.
- Finish: Uncover the pan completely and raise the heat for just a minute to help crisp the socarrat — crispy rice on the bottom. Remove from the stove, cover, and let it rest for 5 minutes.
- Serve: Serve with a lemon wedge and a sprinkle of fresh parsley.
Chef’s Tips
- Paella pan: Paella is traditionally cooked in a large paella pan to allow the rice to cook more evenly. However, any large (12 inches at minimum) round skillet with shallow sides will work! Do not use a skillet like a wok, you want a flat even surface.
- Don’t rinse: Unlike most kinds of rice, don’t wash your rice for paella. You want it to be starchy to have the right texture!
- Leftover shrimp: If you’ve got leftover grilled shrimp, add them to the paella right before serving (to avoid overcooking).
- Prep ahead: Chop all the ingredients in advance to save time throughout the week.
- Soak the rice: I do not recommend soaking your rice. I have read many recipes that suggest it, but when I have tried it, my rice is mushy once cooked.
- Do not cover: Leave your pan uncovered while cooking paella. If you cover it, your rice will absorb too much of the cooking liquid and will not have the correct texture. I do place a lid on when I add the seafood, but only partially, I never fully cover the pan.
Variations
- Swap The Broth: If you’re out of seafood and veggie stock, use chicken broth or even water. As long as you are adding a good seafood bouillon, your paella will still be flavorful!
- More Veggies: Diced carrots, diced fresh tomatoes and corn kernels are great ways to make this recipe even heartier.
- Chicken: Add chopped chicken breasts for another traditional type of paella. Add the raw chicken, cut into bite size pieces, with the vegetables and sauté for 5 minutes before continuing with the recipe.
- Chorizo: This is sliced chorizo sausage, not ground Mexican chorizo! You can add this when you would add the seafood as it’s already dried and cured.
- Spicy: It’s not very traditional to have spicy paella, but nothing’s stopping you if you like it spicy! Try adding cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, or chopped jalapeños for some heat!
Yield: 8 servings
Seafood Paella
This seafood paella recipe is an effortless version of Spain's national rice dish! Each bite is filled with traditional flavors, juicy seafood and tender rice infused with saffron. The bottom layer of crispy toasted rice, called socarrat, may just be the best part! There are MANY variations to Paella. Please be respectful that my recipe may be different from yours!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 small red bell pepper, seeded and diced
- 1 ½ teaspoons smoked paprika, divided
- 1 large pinch of saffron, crushed
- 1 ½ teaspoons seafood bouillon, divided
- 3 cups seafood stock, or vegetable stock
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 1 ½ cups Bomba rice, check below for more options
- 12 jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 12 mussels, rinsed and scrubbed
- 8 oz raw or cooked octopus or squid, cut into small pieces
- ½ cup frozen peas
- 2 lemon wedges, for serving
- 1 tablespoons chopped parsley, optional garnish
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Instructions
- Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a paella pan, or an extra large skillet (read notes below for help choosing a pan). Add the onion, garlic and bell pepper and sauté for 4 minutes, until softened.
- Stir in the paprika, saffron, bouillon, stock and white wine. Bring to a low boil.
- Stir in the rice and simmer for 15 minutes. You want a crusty layer of rice to form on the bottom of the pan, called socarrat to form, so avoid stirring too much. Only stir a few times max, as needed.
- Nestle the shrimp, mussels, octopus and peas in with the rice and place the lid offset on top of the pan. (This will help hold the heat in, but allow the steam to escape so you don’t end up with mushy paella!) Continue cooking for 10 minutes, or just until the shrimp turns pink.
- Remove the lid and turn the heat to high for 1 minute (to help crisp the socarrat). Remove the pan from the heat, cover and let it sit for 5 minutes. Then serve with a lemon wedge and sprinkle of fresh parsley, if desired.
Notes
Store: Place cooled paella in an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 3 days. Don’t store it longer, as it has lots of seafood with different spoilage timelines.
Freeze: Transfer it to a freezer-friendly container. Freeze it for up to 3 months. Thaw it in the fridge overnight before reheating. Don’t reheat from frozen!
Reheat: Place paella in a pan with a little oil over medium-high heat. Cook with the lid on for 7 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until warmed through. You can also microwave it in 30-second intervals until warm
Paella Pan: Paella is traditionally cooked in a large paella pan to allow the rice to cook more evenly. However, any large (12 inches at minimum) round skillet with shallow sides will work! Do not use a skillet like a wok, you want a flat even surface.
Paella Rice: Spanish paella Bomba rice is best, but Calasparra rice or arborio rice will work too. You want to use a short-grain or medium-grain rice. Do not use a long-grain rice.
Don’t Rinse: Unlike most kinds of rice, don’t wash your rice for paella. You want it to be starchy to have the right texture!
Do Not Cover: Leave your pan uncovered while cooking paella. If you cover it, your rice will absorb too much of the cooking liquid and will not have the correct texture. I do place a lid on when I add the seafood, but only partially, I never fully cover the pan.
Chicken: Add chopped chicken breasts for another traditional type of paella. Add the raw chicken, cut into bite size pieces, with the vegetables and sauté for 5 minutes before continuing with the recipe.
Chorizo: This is sliced chorizo sausage, not ground Mexican chorizo! You can add this when you would add the seafood as it’s already dried and cured.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 serving, Calories: 323kcal, Carbohydrates: 37g, Protein: 27g, Fat: 6g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 0.003g, Cholesterol: 55mg, Sodium: 1169mg, Potassium: 289mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 662IU, Vitamin C: 21mg, Calcium: 46mg, Iron: 4mg
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