Best Spanish Seafood Paella

Best Spanish Seafood Paella combines shrimp and scallops with paella rice, saffron, veggies, and a tomato broth. Perfect for seafood lovers, this dish is healthy and packed with flavor!

Mike and I traveled to Spain and Portugal in early 2015, and experienced our first ever paella while there. Mike couldn’t get enough of it, and ordered it almost everywhere we went. They normally made it with some type of seafood, and a variety of vegetables.

We are true foodies, and while I’m a little slower to try new things, Mike was eating ALL the seafood (even some of which we didn’t recognize). The wine was absolutely divine, and the bread. The BREAD!

I described our trips in the following posts (Madrid, Lisbon, and Barcelona), and would LOVE to go back. Someday.

Big Green Egg Paella

Shrimp and Scallops Paella is one dish that I usually prepare on our outdoor grill, mostly because of the size of the pan. I purchased two of these paella pans on amazon, so I could make two batches at once for a larger group. Our Texas weather also allows us to grill outside almost all year long. But you can totally make paella on your stove top, even using a regular saucepan.

Ingredients needed for the BEST Spanish Seafood Paella:

1. The basics – Olive oil, salt and pepper.
2. Veggies – Thinly sliced onion, red and green bell pepper, and minced fresh garlic.
3. Spanish Ingredients – Paella Rice and Saffron are both harder-to-find ingredients, which is why I usually order them. Both of these ingredients make this dish uniquely Spanish and should NOT be skipped or substituted!
4. Tomato Flavors – Rotel and tomato paste are the perfect combo here for flavor. We use HOT Rotel for extra heat, but you could use the mild version.
5. Chicken broth – I use lower-sodium broth.
6. Seafood – We use shrimp and scallops in our paella, but you could use a variety of whatever you like. Shrimp and scallops are added in the last five minutes of cooking, so this should be considered when using other seafood.

How to make the BEST Spanish Seafood Paella:

• Prep ahead. Slice the onions and peppers, mince the garlic, and prep the seafood. If buying frozen seafood, make sure they are thawed. I usually make sure the shrimp is peeled and deveined, so I only need to pull the tail off.
• Start grill. Heat an outdoor grill to about 400 degrees. If cooking inside, just use a large stock pan.
• Cook veggies. Add the olive oil to the paella pan, and then the onions and bell peppers. Season with salt and pepper, and close lid. Stir occasionally until veggies are slightly softened.
• Add rice, garlic, and saffron. When veggies are softened, add the paella rice, garlic, and saffron. Stir, and close the lid again. You are just browning the rice here and letting the saffron flavor absorb into the veggies.
• Add tomatoes and broth. Next, add the Rotel and tomato paste. Mix well, and then slowly add chicken broth. The paella pan will fill up. Cover the pan with some tin foil, and close lid. Let the mixture cook until the liquids are almost fully absorbed into the rice and the bottom of the paella starts to develop a dark crust, about 20-25 minutes or so.
• Add the seafood. The final step is the add the seafood, shrimp and scallops in this case. Stir it into the mixture, and then cover again with foil. Close lid and let the seafood cook, about five minutes or so. Be careful to avoid over-cooking the seafood.
• Serve. Serve immediately with some freshly ground black pepper and lemon slices.

Tips for making EPIC paella:

1. Prep all your ingredients in advance. Slice the veggies, peel and devein the shrimp, measure out the rice, and so on.
2. Carry all of your ingredients outside to the grill. OR make it inside on the stovetop.
3. Cook at medium high heat – at around 400 degrees.
4. Let the rice mixture simmer, covered with foil, until ALMOST all the liquid is cooked out.
5. The seafood will only take about 5-6 minutes, so watch closely to prevent over-cooking.
6. If made correctly, the paella should have a brown, crisp layer at the bottom.

Paella is pronounced “puh-yay-a”. One of the fun parts of making paella is saying it. Over and over again. Mike and I love to really emphasize the YAY part. In turn, our boys love to roll their eyes at us. Which makes it even more fun to say. (You get the picture.)

What to serve with Seafood Paella:

Paella can be a complete meal, but I have some ideas for simple side dishes to accompany it.

• Chunky Cinnamon Applesauce
• Fresh Cucumber Salad
• Classic Wedge Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing
• Shaved Cauliflower Salad with Lemon Dressing

How about dessert? Like this Easy Oreo Ice Cream Pie or Best Ever Peanut Butter Cookies!

Make this seafood next: Baked Asian Salmon in Foil

Please let me know if you try this recipe. Be sure to comment and leave a review on the blog so I can see what you think. You can also like my Facebook Page, follow me on Pinterest, and catch me on Instagram.

xoxo ~Sue