Best 5 Mexican Seafood Paella Recipes

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Embark on a culinary journey to the vibrant shores of Mexico with this delectable seafood paella recipe. This traditional Spanish dish gets a Mexican twist with the addition of an array of fresh seafood, including succulent shrimp, tender calamari, flaky fish fillets, and mussels bursting with briny flavor. The paella is cooked in a flavorful broth infused with aromatic saffron, paprika, and a hint of spice. Served with a side of zesty lime wedges and a dollop of creamy avocado salsa, this dish is a symphony of flavors and textures that will tantalize your taste buds.

In addition to the main paella recipe, this article also includes a collection of delightful variations to cater to diverse preferences and dietary needs. For a vegetarian twist, try the Vegetable Paella, which features a medley of colorful vegetables, such as bell peppers, zucchini, and eggplant, all cooked to perfection in a savory broth. If you prefer a heartier option, the Chicken and Chorizo Paella combines succulent chicken thighs with spicy chorizo sausage, creating a dynamic and flavorful dish. And for those with a gluten-free diet, the Gluten-Free Paella offers a delicious alternative made with a special blend of gluten-free rice and other suitable ingredients. Each variation promises a unique culinary experience that will satisfy even the most discerning palates.

Here are our top 5 tried and tested recipes!

PAELLA RECIPE



Paella Recipe image

This Paella is a classic Spanish rice dish made with Arborio rice, packed with chicken, sausage, mussels, clams, shrimp and loaded with flavor. It's such a comforting dish, no wonder it's the most popular dish of Spain!

Provided by Joanna Cismaru

Categories     Dinner     Main Course

Time 1h

Number Of Ingredients 18

3 tablespoon olive oil
4 chicken thighs (boneless and skinless cut into 1 inch pieces)
2 chorizo sausages (cut into 1 inch pieces (I used Italian sausages))
½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
¼ teaspoon pepper (or to taste)
1 large onion (chopped)
6 cloves garlic (minced)
1½ cups arborio rice (*)
14 ounce diced fire roasted tomatoes ((1 can))
4 cups vegetable broth (or chicken broth , low sodium)
1 tablespoon hot sauce (such as Tabasco or Sriracha, optional)
2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon saffron
1 pound large shrimp (shelled and deveined but keep tails on)
1 pound mussels (scrubbed and soaked)
1 pound clams (scrubbed and soaked)
2 tablespoon fresh parsley (chopped)
1 lemon (cut into wedges)

Steps:

  • Cook chicken and sausage: In a large paella pan heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the chicken and sausage, season with salt and pepper, then cook for about 5 minutes until the chicken is no longer pink.
  • Add onion and garlic: Move the chicken and sausage to one side of the pan, then add the onion to the other half, season with a bit of salt and pepper and cook for 2 minutes until the onion becomes translucent and soft. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
  • Cook the rice: Add the arborio and fire roasted tomatoes to the pan and stir well. Let the rice cook in the sauce from the tomatoes for about 5 minutes, you will notice it will start to brown on the bottom, which is what you're looking for. Add the broth, hot sauce, smoked paprika, saffron and season with salt and pepper if needed. Stir everything together and cover with a large lid. Cook for about 15 minutes or until most of the liquid has been absorbed by the rice, without stirring. The rice will not be cooked through at this time.
  • Add seafood: Turn down the heat to medium-low. Arrange the shrimp, mussels and clams over the rice, cover with a lid again and cook for another 10 minutes or until the mussels and clams open up.
  • Garnish and serve: Turn off the heat and garnish with parsley and lemon wedges. Before serving, stir everything together to allow all the ingredients to marry each other for the best flavors.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 427 kcal, Carbohydrate 39 g, Protein 29 g, Fat 16 g, SaturatedFat 4 g, Cholesterol 209 mg, Sodium 1355 mg, Fiber 2 g, Sugar 3 g, ServingSize 1 serving, TransFat 1 g, UnsaturatedFat 11 g

MEXICAN SEAFOOD PAELLA



Mexican Seafood Paella image

On a recent trip to Puerto Vallarta, I had the opportunity to watch a chef make a lovely paella. Sadly, a typical paella recipe involves food I can't eat, so like many of my recipes, this is a modified version designed with my allergies in mind. 1. You will need a very large pan for this recipe. A good paella pan is preferable, but any wide, deep pan will do. 2. Goya Sazón with Azafrán is an inexpensive alternative to pure saffron which can be found in the Spanish or Mexican food section of some grocery stores. If it's not available locally, you can use a few pinches of saffron instead. Put the saffron into the cup of chicken broth before you start chopping your veggies, and it'll have plenty of time to soak out the full flavor. 3. Since cold steamed lobster and crab are generally what's available locally, I just throw them in when I put in the tomatoes and peas to warm them up. But for this recipe, I noted the places where raw crab and lobster should be added, to be true to the chef's directions.

Provided by Jennifer Cross

Categories     One Dish Meal

Time 1h15m

Yield 8 serving(s)

Number Of Ingredients 15

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 green bell peppers, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (3 5/8 ounce) packet sazon goya with azafran
3 cups long grain rice
6 cups chicken stock
1 cup dry white wine
2 cups peas
1 medium tomatoes, diced
1/2 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 lb crab legs
1/2 lb tuna, diced
1 lobster tail
salt and pepper

Steps:

  • Saute onions, bellpeppers, garlic, and crab legs in olive oil until onions are translucent.
  • Add rice to pan. Saute, stirring frequently, until rice turns golden brown.
  • Mix Sazón packet with 1 cup of the chicken stock.
  • Add wine and Sazón mixture to pan. Stir until liquid is absorbed.
  • Add chicken stock, shrimp, and tuna. Stir once, lay lobster on top, making sure to submerge the exposed meat, then cover.
  • Cook for 15 minutes. Do not uncover the pan during this time.
  • Add peas and tomato. Recover and cook for an additional 5 minutes.

MEXICAN PAELLA



Mexican Paella image

This South-of-the-border paella includes Mexican chorizo, a spicy, freshly ground pork sausage that's not to be confused with its dry-cured Spanish cousin. The dinner recipe comes from chef Rick Bayless.

Provided by Martha Stewart

Categories     Food & Cooking     Ingredients     Meat & Poultry     Chicken     Chicken Thighs

Number Of Ingredients 15

3 1/4 cups store-bought low-sodium chicken broth
Coarse salt
1 large poblano pepper
1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes in their juices, preferably fire-roasted
1/4 cup olive oil
6 chicken thighs
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup (4 ounces) Mexican chorizo sausage, casings removed
3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
2 cups medium-grain rice
1/2 pound medium-large shrimp, peeled, tail-on, if desired, and deveined
1 pound mussels, scrubbed
1 cup frozen peas
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons silver tequila (optional)

Steps:

  • Place chicken broth and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in a medium saucepan. Cover and heat over low heat.
  • Over a low gas flame or under the broiler, roast poblano pepper, turning frequently, until charred, about 5 minutes over flame or 10 minutes under broiler. Remove from heat and cover with a clean kitchen towel until cool enough to handle. Rub off charred skin using a paper towel; remove stem and seeds. Rinse pepper and pat dry; cut into 1/2-inch strips; set aside.
  • Place tomatoes and their juices in the jar of a blender. Blend until smooth; set aside.
  • Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Heat olive oil in a 12-inch paella pan over medium-high heat. Season skin side of chicken thighs with salt and place skin-side down in pan; season with salt. Cook until skin is deep golden, about 10 minutes. Turn and cook until chicken is browned and juices run clear, about 10 minutes more. Transfer chicken to a large rimmed baking sheet and set aside.
  • Reduce heat to medium and add onion and chorizo. Cook, stirring, until chorizo is cooked through and onion begins to brown, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add reserved poblano pepper and tomato puree. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is thickened and oil begins to separate from mixture, about 5 minutes.
  • Add rice to pan and cook, stirring, until rice turns milky white in color, 4 to 5 minutes. Add heated chicken broth and stir to combine. Cook, without stirring, until rice has absorbed most of the liquid and is almost cooked through, about 12 minutes.
  • Return chicken to pan and nestle into the center of the rice. Arrange shrimp in a ring around the chicken and the mussels in the rice at the edge of the pan. Cover the pan with a piece of parchment paper-lined aluminum foil; transfer to oven and bake for 15 minutes.
  • Remove paella from oven and stir in peas, parsley, and tequila, if desired. Using a large serving spoon, gently fluff mussels and shrimp into rice mixture. Re-cover and let stand for 10 minutes until rice and shellfish are cooked through. Serve immediately.

EASY PAELLA



Easy Paella image

An easy to make paella using chorizo, chicken, and shrimp.

Provided by mls

Categories     World Cuisine Recipes     European     Spanish

Time 1h

Yield 8

Number Of Ingredients 19

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoons dried oregano
salt and black pepper to taste
2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 2 inch pieces
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 cups uncooked short-grain white rice
1 pinch saffron threads
1 bay leaf
½ bunch Italian flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 quart chicken stock
2 lemons, zested
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 Spanish onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, coarsely chopped
1 pound chorizo sausage, casings removed and crumbled
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined

Steps:

  • In a medium bowl, mix together 2 tablespoons olive oil, paprika, oregano, and salt and pepper. Stir in chicken pieces to coat. Cover, and refrigerate.
  • Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet or paella pan over medium heat. Stir in garlic, red pepper flakes, and rice. Cook, stirring, to coat rice with oil, about 3 minutes. Stir in saffron threads, bay leaf, parsley, chicken stock, and lemon zest. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to medium low. Simmer 20 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a separate skillet over medium heat. Stir in marinated chicken and onion; cook 5 minutes. Stir in bell pepper and sausage; cook 5 minutes. Stir in shrimp; cook, turning the shrimp, until both sides are pink.
  • Spread rice mixture onto a serving tray. Top with meat and seafood mixture.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 736.2 calories, Carbohydrate 45.7 g, Cholesterol 202.5 mg, Fat 35.1 g, Fiber 2.9 g, Protein 55.7 g, SaturatedFat 10.3 g, Sodium 1204.2 mg, Sugar 1.9 g

AUTHENTIC SEAFOOD PAELLA



Authentic Seafood Paella image

Paella is a classic Spanish dish of rice cooked with shellfish and seasoned with saffron. It is perfect for easy entertaining.

Provided by Allrecipes

Categories     World Cuisine Recipes     European     Spanish

Time 55m

Yield 2

Number Of Ingredients 19

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
½ tomato, finely diced
1 pinch salt
½ tablespoon smoked paprika
6 fresh romano or green beans
½ cup canned butter beans, drained and rinsed
½ cup white rice
6 large shrimp
6 mussels
6 clams
1 cup white wine
2 cups seafood stock
1 pinch saffron threads
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 cup fresh peas
5 baby squid, cut into rings and tentacles
1 lemon, cut into wedges
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Steps:

  • Heat olive oil in a large skillet or paella pan over high heat. Cook and stir onion, tomato, salt, and smoked paprika into the hot oil until softened, about 3 minutes. Add romano beans, butter beans, and rice; cook and stir until rice is coated with oil, 2 to 3 minutes.
  • Place shrimp, mussels, and clams over the top of the rice mixture. Pour in white wine and seafood stock; sprinkle in saffron threads and rosemary. Bring mixture to a simmer. Turn shellfish and continue to cook until clams and mussels have opened, and shrimp are pink and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Remove clams, mussels, and shrimp and set aside.
  • Stir peas into the paella; simmer, uncovered, until rice is tender and has absorbed the liquid, 20 to 25 minutes. Stir in squid, and return clams, mussels, and shrimp to the pan. Cook until squid is opaque and cooked through, 2 to 3 more minutes. Serve with lemon wedges and chopped parsley.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 784.1 calories, Carbohydrate 73.5 g, Cholesterol 301.1 mg, Fat 20.1 g, Fiber 8.9 g, Protein 53 g, SaturatedFat 3.3 g, Sodium 979.8 mg, Sugar 5.3 g

Tips:

  • Use high-quality seafood. Fresh, flavorful seafood is essential for a great paella. Look for seafood that is firm and has a mild odor.
  • Sauté the seafood properly. Searing the seafood in a hot pan helps to develop flavor and prevent it from becoming rubbery.
  • Use a good quality paella rice. Paella rice is a short-grain rice that is able to absorb a lot of liquid without becoming mushy.
  • Do not stir the rice too much. Stirring the rice too much can release starch, which can make the paella gummy.
  • Let the paella rest before serving. This allows the flavors to meld together and the rice to absorb any remaining liquid.

Conclusion:

Mexican seafood paella is a delicious and festive dish that is perfect for a party or special occasion. With a little planning and preparation, you can easily make this dish at home. Just be sure to use high-quality ingredients and follow the recipe carefully. You won't be disappointed!

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