Shrimp And Sausage Paella…My Maiden Voyage of YUM!

Paella has always terrified me. Oh…not the actual dish. But the method to prepare it seemed far above my culinary skill level. But when I stumbled on a brand new paella pan for a few bucks at a thrift store I decided that was a sign. A sign that I needed to conquer my “too old to learn” old-lady fears…and make paella!

My first concern was finding a recipe to fit the small pan I had, since most paella dishes are made in LARGE pans…enough for a crowd. I found a promising looking recipe on a wonderful website called Fox and Briar and I customized Meghan’s recipe to include the ingredients I had on hand. It turned out my 10 inch thrift store pan made plenty to serve four people, so it was enough for Peepaw and me…and I took our leftovers door to door to share with some condo neighbors. (No complaints heard.)

First, I peeled and deveined one pound of medium shrimp, and instead of throwing those shells away I decided to make a broth to add even more flavor to my paella. I threw the shells in a sauce pan with some extra virgin olive oil.

I sauteed them until they turned pink and fragrant. Then I added several cups of water, some onion, fresh parsley, salt and pepper…and I let it simmer and reduce.

The resulting broth was delightful! (I’ll NEVER throw raw shrimp shells away again!)

Then I was ready to tackle that paella! I coated my paella pan with extra virgin olive oil.

I cut two sausages into chunks and I browned and cooked them in the oil and then removed them for later.

Into those yummy remaining juices I added an onion and I browned and softened it. Then I began to add more “stuff” to that pan. 

First the chopped garlic, then two ounces of tomato paste.

Meemaw’s Tip: Cut off BOTH ends of the can of tomato paste and push one lid up through the can to  push out as much paste as you need. Then simply stick the lid back on the open end, throw the can into a zip lock bag and toss it into your freezer until you need more. Bingo! Waste not want not…remember?

I pressed that paste onto the surface of the hot pan to “cook” it and to get rid of the “tin” taste from the can. Then I added the large diced red and yellow sweet peppers and let them begin to soften. Don’t be afraid of the “burned” looking bottom of the pan by this time. There is a TON of flavor in that stuff! (It’s called fond…and it’s a GOOD thing!)

Now…THIS is where I made my first rookie mistake! I dumped in one cup of that gorgeous shrimp broth before I browned my raw rice! (I should have coated the rice with that onion, pepper, garlic, tomato mixture first.)

Oh well…NEXT time. After all…cooking is an art, not a science!

The type of rice used in paella is very important. I couldn’t find Bomba rice so I substituted Valencia. (It is also a short grain variety that can absorb more liquid without turning mushy like long grain rice would.) I cooked and stirred for a minute before I added the rest of the shrimp broth and I added chicken broth too…enough to equal about 3 or 4 cups of total liquid. (I eyeballed it.)

Then I added smoky paprika and the STAR of the dish…SAFFRON..the most expensive spice around!

Saffron is the spice made from the tiny stigmas of crocus flowers, and since each of those tiny threads is harvested by hand it’s no wonder saffron can cost hundreds of dollars per ounce! But it only takes a few threads of the spice to add a gorgeous color and flavor to any dish…like this paella.

And now for my SECOND mistake. I was so excited about that *%&#^$ saffron I forgot to add some turmeric to the pan!!! Duh.

Again…NEXT time!

I kept the heat on MED-LOW and I scraped the bottom of the pan to release all of that dark fond into the rice and sauce as it cooked, and I added a little more chicken broth as the rice began to drink it in. 

When the rice was nearly done I nestled each raw shrimp into the hot rice mixture to allow them to gently cook. And I stuck the cooked sausage back in the pan as well.

And I topped the finished dish with a sprinkle of flat leaf parsley to add color and brightness to the dish.

Let’s just say I was pretty proud of my first attempt…right down to the socarrat!

And what is socarrat, you might ask?

It’s that brown, crusty, almost burned layer that forms on the bottom of the paella pan. It’s meant to be scraped up and eaten with the dish. And I can see why. 

So Dear Readers…this paella turned out pretty darn good for my first attempt.

And once again it just goes to show…even an old dog like me still might have a few untapped culinary tricks up her sleeve. But you don’t have to wait until you’re my age to give paella a green light in your kitchen!