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Baked Seafood Paella with Bacon
Rice is an ingredient which shows up in almost every one of the world's cuisines. While the grain is native to Asia, it made its way to the Middle East and Europe by the middle ages, becoming especially popular in Spain during the Moorish occupation. While the Moors eventually left, rice did not - and in the Spanish region of Valencia, rice became an especially important part of the local cuisine.
One of the results of this is paella, the classic Spanish rice dish. It is commonly made with seafood, as it is in this particular paella recipe - but in this case, with a twist: bacon. A lot of people hold the opinion that bacon makes pretty much everything better and if you are one of them, then this recipe is definitely for you.
This is a seafood paella which is bound to impress your dinner guests; it makes a great entrée for a dinner party. While paella can be a little on the labor intensive side, do not let that discourage you. The effort you put into it will be amply repaid in the form of a dinner which you will not soon forget - and neither will anyone else at your table.
Seafood Paella
Ingredients -
1 tablespoon olive oil
5 slices of bacon, chopped
2 yellow onions, diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 cups long grain white rice
A pinch of saffron
2 cups clam juice
1 ½ cups chicken or vegetable stock
Salt and black pepper, to taste
Lemon wedges, for garnish
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 pound cleaned squid, cut into ½-inch pieces
1 dozen clams, scrubbed
1 dozen mussels, scrubbed and cleaned
1 cup frozen or fresh peas (thaw first if using frozen peas)
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees while heating the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the chopped bacon and cook until crisp, about 5 minutes. Set aside on paper towels to drain excess grease.
Cook the onions and garlic in the pot with the bacon drippings, stirring occasionally until they start to brown, and then add the rice and saffron. Cook, stirring constantly for about 3 minutes. Add the clam juice and stock and bring to a simmer, then remove from heat.
Pour the rice and stock into a large baking dish and top with the seafood, chopped bacon, and peas. Cover the dish with foil and bake for about 45 minutes, or until the rice is tender and the clams and mussels have opened - if any of the shellfish do not open, discard them. Remove the foil and allow the paella to stand for about 5 minutes before serving garnished with lemon wedges.
(Serves 4)
Photo Description:
This is a truly impressive seafood paella recipe which will have your family and friends in awe of your culinary prowess - and you will probably get some requests for your recipe as well once your guests taste this magnificent rice dish. Try serving this paella with a salad and some crusty bread as well as olives, to enjoy this meal in true Spanish style. Dry sherry also makes a wonderful accompaniment to this dish, but no matter how you choose to serve this paella, it is a winner.
