Three perfect paella recipes for a little taste of Spain
JP McMahon shares his various takes on paella for you to try
As well as his Michelin-starred restaurant Aniar, JP McMahon is the owner of Cava Bodega in Galway city. Focused on Spanish food and tapas, the restaurant opened in 2008. The Cava Bodega Cookbook is available at cavabodega.ie/cookbooks for more Spanish inspiration. In the meantime, try McMahon’s recipes on paella below.
Seafood paella with prawns, mussels and clams
Ingredients, serves 4
Olive oil, for frying
1 small onion, peeled and diced
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 red pepper, cored and cut into small pieces
250g cherry tomatoes, whole
125ml dry white wine
850ml fish stock
1 tsp smoked paprika
Pinch saffron strands
400g bomba rice
300g squid, cleaned, scored and cut into strips
500g white fish, skinned and cut into small pieces
100g green peas, blanched if fresh
4 whole prawns
16 mussels, washed and de-bearded
16 clams, washed
1 lemon, quartered
A few sprigs of chervil
Sea salt
Method
1. In a large frying pan, over a medium heat, fry the onion and garlic in a little olive oil.
2. Add the pepper, the cherry tomatoes and the smoked paprika. Fry for another few minutes. Then season with a little salt.
3. Deglaze the frying pan with the white wine and reduce liquid by half. Add the fish stock, smoked paprika and the saffron, bring to the boil.
5. Lower heat and add rice. Do not stir. When rice is soft, but still quite moist, mix the squid and white fish through the dish. Add the peas and return to the heat. After a few minutes, distribute the shellfish evenly over the top of the paella. At this stage it’s best to cover the pan with another frying pan or some tin foil. In this way the shellfish will cook in the residual steam.
6. When the shellfish are all open and the prawns a lovely pink colour, remove the paella from the heat.
7. To serve, place the frying pan in the centre of a wooden board (so as not to mark the table). Finish with the lemon quarters and a few sprigs of chervil.
Chicken and chorizo paella
Ingredients, serves 4
Olive oil, for frying
1 onion, peeled and diced
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
Sprig of fresh thyme
150g chorizo, diced
100g tomato passata
400g paella rice
850ml chicken stock
A generous pinch of saffron
6 chicken thighs, on the bone, seasoned with fine sea salt
10g flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 lemon, quartered
Extra virgin olive oil, for finishing
Achill Island sea salt, to finish
Method
1. In a large frying pan or paella pan, heat the oil.
2. Fry the onion, garlic and fresh thyme. Cook until soft. Then add the chicken and chorizo. Cook until the chicken is nicely coloured. Add the stock and saffron and cook for 7 minutes, then remove the chicken and allow to rest in a warm place.
3. Add the tomato sauce and rice. Cover and cook until the rice is tender.
4. Five minutes before the rice is cooked, return the chicken to the top of the rice and cover.
5. Garnish with parsley and lemon.
6. Finish with some extra virgin oil and Achill Island sea salt.
Aubergine and Velvet Cloud paella with pine nuts and sultanas
Ingredients, serves 4
For the aubergine purée
500g aubergine
100g Velvet Cloud sheep’s yoghurt
Cold pressed rapeseed oil
Sea salt
For the paella
Olive oil, for frying
1 onion, peeled and diced
75ml oloroso sherry
400g paella rice
800ml vegetable stock, warmed
Pinch of saffron strands
Sea salt
To finish
50g pine nuts, toasted
75g sultanas
10g fresh coriander, chopped
1 lemon, quartered
Achill Island sea salt
Cold pressed rapeseed oil
Method
1. Preheat your oven to 200C. To make the purée, chop the aubergine and dress with oil and sea salt. Roast in the oven until soft, then place in a food processor with the yoghurt and blend until smooth. Pass through a fine sieve and reserve.
2. Next, make the paella. In a large frying pan, fry the onion in a little oil until translucent. Add the sherry and reduce the liquid by half.
3. Add the rice and cook briefly over a medium heat for 1 minute.
4. Bring the stock to the boil. Add the saffron into the stock and whisk until the stock turns yellow. Pour the stock into the rice and allow to come to the boil. Simmer until all the stock has been absorbed. When the rice is cooked, fold in the aubergine purée. Rest in a warm area for 5 minutes
5. To serve, place the frying pan on wooden board. Scatter the pine nuts and sultanas over the paella and garnish with the chopped coriander. Sprinkle a little flaky sea salt and dress with some cold pressed rapeseed oil. Serve with the lemon quarters.
