Garlicky Clam Paella Recipes

GARLICKY CLAM PAELLA

Steps:

• Place large clams in a skillet with 3 cups water. Bring to a boil, cover and cook, removing clams as they open. Swish clams in the broth to remove any sand, then shake dry and chop coarsely. Set aside.
• Pour liquid through a fine-mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth or one layer of a two-ply paper towel. Measure out 2 and 3/4 cups and set aside. Reserve additional broth for another use.
• Set aside 2 tablespoons parsley. In a mortar or mini processor, mash to a paste the remaining parsley, garlic, saffron and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Set aside.
• When ready to cook, preheat oven to 400 for gas, 450 for electric. Warm broth over a low flame. Have pre-measured and ready to go onion, leeks, pepper, bay leaf, chile pepper, chopped clams, bay leaf, chile pepper, paprika, rice and Manila clams. Combine mortar mixture (parsley, garlic, saffron, salt) with wine and lemon juice.
• Heat the oil in a paella pan measuring about 13 inches (or in a shallow casserole of a similar size) and slowly saute the onion, leeks, pepper, bay leaf and chile pepper until the vegetables are softened.
• Add the chopped clams and saute 5 minutes more. Remove the bay leaf and chile pepper and stir in the paprika. Add the rice and coat well with the pan mixture. Pour in the broth, bring to a boil, taste for salt, add the mortar-wine-lemon juice mixture and Manila clams and boil, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, until the rice is no longer soupy but sufficient liquid remains to continue cooking the rice.
• Transfer to the oven and cook, uncovered, 10 to 12 minutes in a gas oven, or 15 to 20 minutes in an electric oven, until the rice is almost al dente.
• Remove to a warm spot, cover with foil and let sit 5 to 10 minutes, until the rice is cooked to taste.
• To a achieve a crusty bottom, return the paella to the stove over high heat and cook, without stirring, until a crust of rice forms at the bottom of the pan. Be careful not to let it burn. Sprinkle with remaining parsley and serve.

HAWAIIAN SHRIMP AND CLAM PAELLA WITH ISLAND SPICES

Steps:

• Place peeled shrimp in a small bowl and coat with achiote paste; let marinate 20 minutes.
• Heat oil in a Dutch oven, over medium heat, then stir in onions; cook until translucent.
• Add in the chicken stock, cover, and bring to a boil.
• Stir in tomatoes and aji; add clams, cover, and cook until they open, about 7 minutes.
• Stir in the shrimp, cover, and cook through.
• Garnish with basil and cilantro; season with salt if needed.

PAELLA WITH CHORIZO, SHRIMP, CLAMS AND CHICKEN WITH GARLIC AIOLI

Steps:

• For the paella: Add the chicken stock, saffron threads and shrimp shells to a medium saucepan and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, coat the paella pans generously with olive oil. Add the chorizo, dividing it between the two pans. Set the pans over medium-low heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the fat has rendered and the chorizo is crispy, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the chicken to the pans and season with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is beginning to brown, but isn't cooked all the way through.
• Add the garlic, celery, onions, peppers and tomato to a food processor and pulse until chopped into a coarse paste. Add to the paella pans and cook until all of the liquid has evaporated and the veggies are soft and slightly caramelized, about 10 minutes. Add the peas and cook 2 to 3 minutes.
• Add about 1/2 cup of the stock to each pan and stir, making sure to scrape up the fond from the bottom of the pans. Season to taste with salt. Add about another cup of the stock to each pan, then bring the liquid to a boil.
• Add the rice and stir until thoroughly combined. Nestle the clams into the rice and cook for 5 minutes. Nestle the shrimp into the rice and simmer until the shrimp are pink and cooked through and the clams have fully opened, 5 minutes.
• For the aioli: Meanwhile, add the vinegar, garlic and egg yolks to a food processor and process until combined. With the machine running, slowly add the oil to emulsify the mixture. Season to taste with salt.
• For serving: Garnish with the chives and a drizzle of aioli.

SEAFOOD PAELLA

Steps:

• Fry the onion in the oil in a 16-inch paella pan until soft, stirring often. Stir in the garlic, and before it begins to color, add the tomatoes. Add the sugar, salt to taste, pimentón (or paprika), and saffron, stir well, and cook until the tomatoes are reduced to a jammy sauce and the oil is sizzling. Add the squid and cook, stirring, for a minute or so. Add the rice and stir well until all the grains are coated. (You can prepare the dish to this point up to an hour in advance.)
• Bring the stock and wine to a boil in a saucepan. Pour over the rice, bring to a boil, and add salt to taste (even if the broth tastes a bit salty, it will not be salty when it is absorbed by the rice). Stir well and spread the rice out evenly in the pan (do not stir again). Cook the rice over low heat for 18 to 20 minutes, moving the pan around and rotating it so that the rice cooks evenly. Lay the shrimp on top after 10 minutes and turn them when they have become pink on the first side. Add a little more hot stock toward the end if the rice seems too dry and you hear crackly frying noises before it is done. When the rice is done, turn off the heat and cover the pan with a large piece of foil.
• Steam the mussels with a finger of water in a pan with a tight-fitting lid. As soon as they open, they are cooked. Throw away any that have not opened.
• Arrange the mussels on top of the paella.