King Prawn and Chorizo Paella

King Prawn and Chorizo Paella Recipe

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King Prawn and Chorizo Paella

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Paella is all about the rice, the other ingredients simply add flavour and texture to it. The chorizo adds a delicious paprika flavour and lots of texture. The king prawns are just a delicious aside!

KEY POINTS

Preparation Time: 15 minutes Cooking Time: 55 mins

How Difficult Medium Freeze? No

Servings
4 portions

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COOK'S NOTES ABOUT KING PRAWN AND CHORIZO PAELLA
The original paella originates from Valencia in Spain and you can see that original by clicking here. However over several decades regional variations have developed as is the case with many other recipes. These regional variations are now accepted as paellas in their own right.

There are three main types of paella, the Valencian version, seafood paella and mixed meat and seafood paella. These types are all now served in some of the best restaurants in the world as paella.

The word paella means pan and not only that, but a special type of pan with conductive metal that cools quickly. It also has very shallow edges. See our article on paella pans for more information. The paella pan is one of the defining elements to a paella. Another equally defining element to a paella is the rice, it must be paella rice, not long grain nor risotto (arborio) rice.

It is interesting to note that there are significant variations in paella rice according to the region in Spain where they are grown. Even in the Valencia region there are differences in paella rice types. Click here for more information about paella rice.

Aside from the rice and the paella pan there are several other elements to a paella which clearly define it. Click here for the general principles involved in cooking a top quality paella.

This particular paella recipe, we freely admit, may not be a true paella if you choose to cook it on the hob in a frying pan. The reasons for this are two fold. First it does not use a paella pan and secondly, the depth of rice in the frying pan is much deeper compared to an authentic paella.

However, in many other respects, this recipe is in the authentic fashion. It uses paella rice, it aims for a dry rather than a creamy rice texture and it uses ingredients which are commonly found in many areas of Spain.

Of this I am certain, this recipe is a thousand times more authentic and tasty compared to the so called paellas which are served in most Spanish seaside bars. Those are truly an abomination and do not even have the decency to admit that they are not anything like a good paella. Try our recipe and if you enjoy it, invest in a paella pan (surprisingly cheap) and a barbecue for a true taste of real paella.

INGREDIENTS

Ingredients	How Much
Chicken breasts or thighs	4
Paella rice	310g / 11oz
Chorizo	100g / 3½oz
Peas	75g / 3oz
King prawns (uncooked)	8
Chicken stock	900ml / 1.6 pints
Garlic cloves	2
Chopped tomatoes	400g can
Extra virgin olive oil	2 tablespoons
Saffron (see cook's notes above)	2 pinches (about 20 strands)
Sweet paprika, also known as pimenton.	1 heaped teaspoon
Yellow food colouring (optional)	1½ teaspoons
Rosemary	1 sprig or 1 level teaspoon dried
Salt and pepper	To taste

COOKING EQUIPMENT
A 34cm / 13½in paella pan or large frying pan - see here for paella pan dimensions
Barbecue (optional)

PREPARATION
Cut each chicken breast / thigh into four.

Slice the chorizo into thin slices.

Very lightly toast the saffron by placing it in an empty pan on a medium heat for 30 seconds. It will now be very easy to break the saffron into tiny pieces.

Top and tail the garlic clove then peel it and finely chop.

Sprinkle the chicken lightly with salt and pepper.

Before starting to cook your paella, you may want to browse our article on the principles of cooking a good paella which can be found here.

Method
Below is a video showing how to cook chorizo and king prawn paella and the full recipe follows after that. If there is any conflict between the video and the written recipe below, the written recipe is the one to stick to including amounts and measurements. The reason is simple, the video is taken by an amateur in one take. No professional props or multiple takes and digital wizardry, what you see in the video is exactly what was cooked on the day.

Add the olive oil to the pan on a medium heat and then add the chicken and chorizo.
Keep both ingredients moving and turning over the pan to stop them sticking. The chorizo will soon start to release its delicious red juices and the chicken will be lightly browned.

Add the chopped tomatoes and garlic to the pan and stir well until mixed well with the other ingredients.
Cook on a medium heat for about 15 minutes.

Now add the paprika and the stock. Make sure it is all stirred in well. You should now have a deep orange-red stock in the pan.
Cook for ten minutes on a medium heat.

Now add the crushed saffron, rosemary and the yellow food colouring (optional). Make sure that you stir the mixture well for a minute or two so that all ingredients are mixed together well.
Bring the mixture to a light boil and then add the paella rice evenly around the pan. Use a spoon to settle the rice evenly to the base of the pan.

The rice takes 18 minutes to cook so add the king prawns and peas so that they will be cooked at the end of this time. Our prawns were frozen and take 6 minutes to cook so we added them 12 minutes after the rice. Fresh prawns will take slightly less cooking time so they can be added slightly later.

When the liquid is absorbed and the prawns cooked take the pan off the heat, cover with silver foil and leave to rest for 5 minutes.
Cut a lemon into place them onto the paella. Eat straight from the pan squeezing a little lemon juice over the paella.