Big Sky Paella Recipes

Steps:

• Heat some oil in a large paella pan or skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the chorizo and cook, stirring, until browned, then remove and reserve. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and sprinkle on both sides with salt and pepper. Gently place the chicken in the pan skin-side down and cook until browned, about 4 minutes. Flip the chicken and cook on the second side until browned, about 4 minutes more. Remove the chicken to a plate. Add the bell pepper, onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until soft, 4 to 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, soak the saffron in 3 tablespoons water in a small bowl. Add the rice to the pan and cook, stirring to coat the rice with oil, until the rice is toasted, about 3 minutes. Add the saffron and its soaking water and stir to combine. Add 5 cups of the stock, any reserved juices from the chicken and the tomatoes and bring the liquid to a simmer. Return the chicken to the pan, nestling it into the rice, and cook, uncovered, moving the pan around every few minutes and adjusting the heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer, until the rice is quite al dente and has absorbed all the liquid, 12 to 15 minutes. (If the pan gets dry before the rice is ready, add some of the remaining stock.)
• Nestle the clams into the rice hinge-side down and cook, without stirring, for 5 minutes. Add the mussels hinge-side down along with the shrimp and chorizo. Top with the peas and cook without stirring until the clams and mussels open and the shrimp turns bright pink, 5 minutes more. When the paella is cooked and the rice looks fluffy and moist, turn the heat up for 40 seconds until you can smell the rice toasting at the bottom?it will form a dark brown, crispy crust on the bottom called soccarat. Discard any shellfish that does not open. Remove from the heat and serve immediately, family-style.

Steps:

• Cook and stir reserved shrimp shells and 2 teaspoons olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat until shells are pink and fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir saffron into shells; add chicken broth, bring to a simmer, and cook until broth is a rusty brown and fragrant, about 20 minutes.
• Strain saffron broth through a fine-mesh sieve; measure out 2 cups of broth, pour into a small saucepan, and place over low heat to keep broth hot.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large, oven-proof skillet over medium heat. Cook chorizo slices in hot oil until browned, about 2 minutes per side. Add onion to sausage; cook and stir until soft and slightly translucent, about 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low.
• Stir garlic into chorizo mixture; cook and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add rice to skillet and stir to coat rice completely in oil; stir in peas.
• Pat rice mixture evenly into the bottom of the skillet. Arrange shrimp in a single layer over the top of the rice. Lay pepper strips around and in between shrimp; season with salt, paprika, and cayenne pepper.
• Increase heat to high. When rice begins to sizzle in the skillet, pour reserved 2 cups hot saffron broth over the shrimp; gently shake the skillet to distribute liquid.
• Bake rice mixture in the preheated oven until rice is almost tender and still a bit wet, about 20 minutes.
• Place skillet over medium-high and cook until rice is tender, liquid is absorbed, and rice caramelizes and crusts slightly on the bottom of the skillet, 3 to 5 minutes.

Steps:

• In a heavy 12-inch saute pan, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Cook shrimp until just pink on both sides, 4 to 5 minutes (do not overcook). Transfer to a plate.
• Add remaining tablespoon oil and sausage to pan; cook over medium-high heat until beginning to brown, about 2 minutes. Add onion, and cook, stirring frequently, until translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Add garlic and rice; cook, stirring to coat, until rice is translucent, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Stir in paprika, turmeric, tomatoes, and broth, scraping up browned bits from bottom of pan with a wooden spoon. Season with salt and pepper.
• Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cover, and cook until rice is tender and has absorbed almost all liquid, 20 to 25 minutes. Stir in peas; cook 1 minute. Stir in cooked shrimp; serve immediately.