How to Make Seafood Paella in a Le Creuset Dutch Oven
By Fred Decker
How to Make Seafood Paella in a Le Creuset Dutch Oventhumbnail You can cook paella even without the correct pan.
Paella is one of Spain’s signature dishes, a festive celebration in one pan. It consists of medium-grain Spanish rice, similar to the more familiar Italian arborio, simmered with saffron and a variety of aromatic vegetables. Seafood, chicken, chorizo and various other ingredients are commonly added to increase the dish’s appeal. Paella is cooked in a special pan, also called a paella, that resembles a shallow wok. If the correct pan is not available, paella can also be prepared in any wide-bottomed pan, such as a Le Creuset Dutch oven.
Topic To Make Seafood Paella in a Le Creuset Dutch Oven:
- Recipe for Paella
- Dutch Oven Cooking
To Make Seafood Paella in a Le Creuset Dutch Oven Difficulty:
- Moderate
To Make Seafood Paella in a Le Creuset Dutch Oven You’ll Need:
- Olive oil
- Diced onion
- Plum tomatoes
- Grater
- Paprika
- Garlic
- Spanish “bomba” rice, or Italian arborio
- Fish stock or clam nectar
- Saffron threads
- Fresh, uncooked clams or mussels
- Shrimp, scallops, crab or lobster
To Make Seafood Paella in a Le Creuset Dutch Oven Instructions:
- Set the Le Creuset Dutch oven on your stovetop and preheat it over low to medium heat. The pan is made of thick cast iron, so this will take several minutes.
- Pour 2 tablespoons of olive oil into the preheated pan, and add diced onion. Halve two plum-style tomatoes and discard the juice and seeds. Grate them into the pot, discarding the leftover tomato skin.
- Stir the onions and tomato until they are very soft and have released their juices. Add 1 teaspoon of good-quality paprika and a clove of minced garlic, and continue stirring. The aromatics will begin to form a thick, sticky paste in the pan. If the mixture begins to stick, add one or two spoonfuls of water and stir vigorously.
- Add rice to the pan and continue stirring for another minute or two, so the mixture of aromatics is well spread throughout the rice. Don’t let the rice brown at all. Spread the rice in a single thin layer across the bottom of the Dutch oven.
- Steep your saffron threads in 1/4 cup of hot fish stock, or a mixture of one part clam nectar to two parts hot water, for five minutes. Pour it gently over the rice, and add enough additional broth to make 2 1/2 cups for each cup of rice. You may need to add as much as one additional cup of broth while the rice cooks, to keep it from drying up prematurely.
- Bring the Dutch oven to a boil, then turn it down to a simmer. Continue simmering, without stirring, until rice begins to appear above the surface of the broth. Scatter well-scrubbed fresh clams or mussels over the surface of the rice, where they will steam open. Add precooked shrimp, scallops, crab or lobster as desired. Continue simmering until the rice has absorbed all the broth and the seafood is warmed. Turn up the heat for a few minutes, until you can smell the rice toasting on the bottom.
- Remove your Le Creuset from the heat immediately, and set it in a pan of cold water to stop the cooking. Serve immediately, evenly dividing the seafood, the rice and the delicately toasted crust of rice from the bottom of the pot.
- A true paella pan has a thin bottom that transfers heat quickly and cools quickly, as opposed to the heavy Le Creuset. This is why you’ll need to cool the bottom of the pot before serving. A lightweight skillet is usually a better substitute.
- Paella must be cooked in a shallow layer. A Dutch oven with a 12- to 14-inch diameter is appropriate for no more than two to four portions.