Spanish chef shares recipe for authentic paella ready in less than 40 minutes

The flavour of paella lies in its freshness, with the rice, vegetables, and seafood all cooked from whole ingredients in a large pan to meld the flavours together. This traditional Spanish dish originated in Valencia but has become popular worldwide. As for the most authentic recipe, paella should be made with short-grain rice flavoured with saffron, vegetables, and seafood or meat.

Despite what many recipes say, Spanish paella is not meant to be a hot and spicy dish and does not contain chorizo. Sharing an authentic "showstopper" recipe on his website, 'Thespanishchef', Omar Allibhoy said: "Paella is one dish that will transport you straight into the Mediterranean coast of Spain, sunglasses on, holiday mood on."

Spanish paella recipe

Ingredients

• 120ml olive oil
• 300g squid, chopped
• Two dried ñora peppers (or two tsp of dried pepper flakes)
• Two tomatoes blended
• Eight garlic cloves, chopped
• A sprinkle of saffron
• One tsp smoked paprika
• Salt
• 440g Spanish rice
• 250g clams
• 500g prawns
• 500g langoustines
• Three litres of shellfish stock

Method

You don't need a special paella pan; a wide, shallow skillet or a large cast-iron skillet will work fine.

First, add the saffron to the shellfish stock to infuse, and keep warm over low heat.

Pour the oil into the pan and set it on low heat. Add the ñora peppers and fry for about two minutes. Remove the peppers from the oil and blend with the tomatoes.

Next, add the squid to the pan and sauté for about seven minutes over high heat, and add some salt. You do not need to clean the pan between each step; you want the flavours to meld throughout.

Add the garlic and smoked paprika, blended tomatoes and ñora peppers. Cook for two more minutes until the oil separates from the tomato paste.

Now it's time for the rice. Add it to the pan and stir everything together for a couple of minutes, "making sure the rice gets coated with the oil and sears," said Omar.

Add the hot stock to the pan and stir it well. Give the paella a taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Cook on high heat for 10 minutes and then switch to medium heat for five minutes without stirring.

After letting the paella bubble away, add the clams, prawns and langoustines. Shake the pan well to flatten the paella, and let it cook for four more minutes. Allow the paella to rest off the heat for five minutes before eating it.

For those who want a show-stopping finish with whole langoustines on top for decoration, Omar said: "Just fry them in the oil at the start for a couple of minutes and then place them on top of the paella for the last five minutes of cooking."

Serve the paella in bowls with a fresh lemon wedge to drizzle over the dish.