Seafood Paella

Servings   Prep Time      Cook Time

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons of olive oil

• 2 chicken breasts or 4 chicken thighs, diced

• 2 cooking chorizo sausages, skin removed and sliced into small slices

• 1 large onion, diced

• 2 tsp smoky sweet Spanish paprika

• 4 large cloves of garlic, thinly sliced

• 1kg paella rice (also known as Spanish rice)

• 100ml white wine

• 2 litres of chicken stock

• 50g flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

• Zest of two lemons

• A pinch of saffron

• 500g frozen prawns

• 500g mussels

• 5 large fresh prawns (optional)

• 1 tsp salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 4 lemons cut into wedges

Directions

1. Heat the Charlie Oven to 200°C (set your fire and choke down the air vents to almost closed when the temperature hits 185-190°C). The temperature will continue to rise just a little after you choke the vents). Add wood to your charcoal. We use oak.

   Put in a deep skillet pan or a paella pan if you have one. Get the pan hot before you start cooking.

2. Add the oil, chorizo and chicken and seal on all sides (2-3 minutes)

3. Add onion, garlic and paprika and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Close the door in between stirs. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Add the rice and stir, coating all the grains and cook for 2 minutes

5. Add the wine and deglaze the pan for one minute.

6. Heat the stock (in a saucepan on your stove) and infuse with a good pinch of saffron.

7. Add the hot stock to the paella pan in the Charlie Oven and stir. Place tin foil or greaseproof paper over the rice and cook for 10 minutes.

8. Add frozen prawns (just press them into the rice, try to avoid stirring). Cook for 5 minutes.

9. Add mussels and fresh prawns. Re-cover and cook for 5 minutes.

10. Uncover and cook for a further 2-3 minutes. Close both vents completely to infuse the dish with all the smoke inside the oven.

11. Serve with lemon wedges, lots of flat leaf parsley and lemon zest.

Recipe Note

Mix and match ingredients depending on what you have at home.  This dish works well with frozen mixed seafood.  Add peas to increase the vegetables. 

If the dish gets too dry, add more stock.