Tips for making an authentic paella, Spanish style!

April 21, 2019
|In Villa Rentals, Spain
|By Club Villamar

It is a daunting task to make an authentic paella using traditional and intimidating ingredients. The dish originated in Valencia, Spain. It is made and served by the Spanish people at home as a weekly communal lunch for their family and friends. There are some important things that you should know about making authentic paella.

Paella is the name of a large pan and a Spanish dish. It is a rich dish and is prepared in the eponymous pan. The special pan is used for making the dish to give a unique texture to the dish. In a real Spanish paella, the liquid is absorbed completely when the rice is al dente. You can use different ingredients for making paella such as traditional rabbit and snails with a variety of seafood. The three most important ingredients used for making the dish are:

  • Saffron
  • Paprika
  • Tomato

CLICK HERE to check our holiday villas selection in Spain

What do you need for making Paella?

You will need the following:

  • Paella: It is a large, shallow, two-handled pan that ensures even cooking. The pan has a thin bottom, which means it heats up quickly. The pan has a large surface area so that the cooking liquid evaporates easily to get the desired texture.
  • A fire: You will need a source of heat. It should be wide enough to accommodate the large pan.

The ingredients used for making Paella

  • Rice: The most important ingredient used for making paella is rice. Take short or medium-grain rice. Short grain rice can absorb the water quickly.
  • Sofrito: It is used to give the flavor base to the paella. It contains green or red peppers, olive oil, garlic, and tomatoes.
  • Herbs and spices: Saffron is used to add color and flavor to the dish.

Pimenton: It is smoked sweet Spanish paprika.

Rosemary: It is used to give traditional flavor to the dish. It is used since snails were used         in Valencian paella. The snails were fed rosemary many days before being cooked.

  • Stock or broth: You can use chicken stock for making meat based paellas and fish stock for seafood paella.
  • Seafood: You can use mussels, shrimp, prawns, crayfish, and other popular seafood available in the market.
  • Meat: Traditionally rabbit, chicken, and snails are the most popular and traditional paella meats, but pork and Spanish chorizo have also become popular.
  • Vegetables: Traditional paella consists of three types of local beans- string beans, lima bean, and white bean. You can also add artichoke. You can add all types of vegetables.

The process of making authentic paella

  • Toast the rice in the pan with the tomato and olive oil for a few minutes before adding the stock. It will give extra flavor to the paella.
  • To give a unique golden color to your dish, soak the saffron threads in the stock for 5 minutes before cooking.
  • When adding the stock to your paella, it should be hot. Keep the temperature consistent when cooking. Heat the stock on low heat.
  • Stir and mix the rice, sofrito base and stock for a few minutes before leaving it to settle. It will form a nice crust on the bottom called socarrat.

CLICK HERE to book your luxury villa in Spain

flamenco spanish music luxury spanish villas spanish celebrations spanish dances spanish destinations spanish festivals spanish food and drink spanish foods spanish holiday spanish holiday music spanish kitchen spanish leather goods spanish meals spanish product spanish tapas spanish tourist spanish villa Spanish villa rentals spanish wine