Tips for making the perfect paella
Paella is a rice dish, and choosing the right kind of rice is essential. You’ll want to use a Spanish bomba, such as La Fayera – a short grain variety which is perfectly suited to traditional Spanish cooking. And remember – unlike making a risotto, you should avoid stirring and leave your rice undisturbed.
Your main ingredients should always be perfectly fresh, and it’s worth taking care to source the best seafood, shellfish, chicken or rabbit that’s available to you (it’ll make all the difference in the end result!) However, you shouldn’t overlook the finer details, such as the stock you use to cook the rice. The best stock is made with a heavy dose of passion and is made especially for the paella – El Carmen create theirs from scratch using prawn heads, fennel, fish bones, tomato and brandy, all included to add a complexity of flavour to the finished dish.
Finally, if you want to enjoy your culinary masterpiece in the true Spanish way, you’ll want to serve it at midday, outside in the fresh air where it belongs. Elizabeth Luard, Author of Classic Spanish Cooking says: “Rice dishes are traditionally only served at midday. Valencians, the rice experts of Spain, maintain that anyone eating paella in the evening is either a tourist, or a native being polite to a tourist.”