Seafood Paella | A Classic Spanish Dish Cooked Outdoors!

🥘 Learn how to make delicious Seafood Paella with king prawns, squid, saffron rice and crispy socarrat. Whether you're cooking outdoors on a traditional paella burner or indoors on your hob, this easy step-by-step seafood paella recipe is packed with flavour and perfect for sharing with family and friends. Seafood paella is one of Spain's most iconic dishes, but did you know that 'paella' actually refers to the pan, not the dish itself? Originating around Valencia, it began as a humble peasant meal cooked over open fires in the rice fields using whatever ingredients were available. Today I'm showing you my version using juicy king prawns, tender calamari and beautiful Valencian rice to create an authentic, flavour-packed seafood paella that anyone can make at home. In this video I also explain the difference between Bomba rice and Arroz de Bahía rice. Whilst Bomba is the more famous variety, I actually prefer Arroz de Bahía as it's more affordable and, in my opinion, absorbs even more flavour whilst still producing a fantastic texture. I cooked this paella outdoors on my Paellero (traditional paella burner), but don't worry if you don't have one—this recipe works just as well indoors using a large frying pan or paella pan. ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 - Intro 1:00 - The Rice 1:22 - Pan & Burner 2:34 - The Seafood 3:07 - Cooking The Seafood 5:49 - Cooking The Veg 6:29 - Adding Paprika & Tomatoes 7:15 - Adding The Rice, Stock & Saffron 10:45 - The Cook 11:40 - Adding Back in The Prawns 12:45 - Cover & Rest 13:13 - Serve & Taste 👇 Here's how I made it: Ingredients (Serves 4) 320g Arroz de Bahía rice (or Bomba rice) Raw peeled prawns Large king prawns (shell and head on) 2 whole calamari, cleaned and sliced into rings 2 red peppers, sliced 1 large onion, diced 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1½ tbsp smoked paprika 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes Approximately 950ml fish stock (or chicken stock, vegetable stock or even water) Good pinch of saffron Olive oil Fresh flat-leaf parsley Lemon wedges Sea salt & black pepper Method Start by adding a few generous glugs of olive oil to your paella pan. Seal the peeled prawns first before removing them from the pan. They don't need to be fully cooked at this stage as they'll finish cooking later and stay perfectly juicy. Next, cook the large shell-on king prawns for around one minute on each side before removing them. Add the sliced calamari and cook briefly before moving it to the outside of the pan. On a traditional paella burner the outer edge is much cooler while only the centre ring is lit, so this prevents the calamari from overcooking. Add the sliced red peppers and diced onion and cook until softened. Stir in the chopped garlic and cook for one minute before adding the smoked paprika. Cook for another 30 seconds to remove the rawness. Add the chopped tomatoes (traditionally grated fresh tomatoes are often used) and stir everything together before adding the rice. Pour in just under 1 litre of stock using approximately a 3:1 stock-to-rice ratio, then stir well. Place the saffron into a small piece of foil and briefly toast it over the flame. This releases even more of its incredible aroma and flavour. Crumble it into a little warm water before pouring it into the paella. Give everything one final stir, making sure the calamari is evenly distributed throughout the rice, then leave the paella to cook over a medium heat for around 18–20 minutes, checking it occasionally. If the rice isn't quite cooked but the liquid has disappeared, simply add a little more stock. Towards the end you'll hear a gentle sizzling from underneath. That's the famous socarrat beginning to form—the delicious crispy layer of caramelised rice on the bottom of the pan. Now return the peeled prawns to the paella and arrange the shell-on king prawns around the top. I also like to add my lemon wedges now so they warm through while the paella rests. Turn off the heat, cover the pan and leave everything to rest for 10 minutes. This allows the rice to settle while gently finishing the prawns. Finish with freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley and serve with plenty of crusty bread. My Socarrat Tip Some people like a light golden socarrat, but I'm a bit different—I actually love mine with a few darker, slightly burnt patches, and so does my family! If you prefer a lighter socarrat, simply turn the heat off around the 16–17 minute mark instead. Whether you enjoy seafood paella, chicken paella or mixed paella, they're all fantastic dishes designed to bring people together around the table. 👍 If you enjoyed this recipe, please LIKE the video, leave me a COMMENT and SUBSCRIBE for more delicious recipes every week! What's your favourite type of paella—Seafood, Chicken or Mixed? Let me know in the comments below! #seafoodpaella #paella #spanishfood #spanishrecipe #prawns #calamari #saffron #rice #outdoorcooking #comfortfood #summerrecipes