Mixed Seafood Paella

     

                            

Serves 6

Ingredients:

3 dozen small to medium mussels, thoroughly cleansed

About 5½ cups clam juice or Fish broth

¼ teaspoon crumbled thread saffron

¾ pound monkfish or other firm-fleshed fish, skin removed and cut into ½-inch cubes

¾ pound grouper or other firm-fleshed fish, cut in ½-inch cubes

1 pound small cleaned squid with tentacles, cut in ½ -inch dice and tentacles halved lengthwise

18 large shrimp in their shells

Kosher or sea salt

2 tablespoons minced parsley

8 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon thyme leaves or ½ teaspoon dried

2 teaspoons sweet paprika, preferably Spanish smoked

8 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

6 small scallions, green portion trimmed, finely chopped

2 red bell peppers, finely chopped

1 medium tomato, finely chopped

3 cups imported Spanish or Arborio short-grained rice

Directions:

Place 1½ dozen mussels in a skillet with ¾ cups of water. Cover and bring to boil. Remove the mussels as they open. Reserve the meat and discard the shells. When all the mussels have opened, pour the liquid from the skillet into a large pot and add enough clam juice to make 6 cups. Stir in the saffron.

Dry the monkfish, grouper, squid, and shrimp well between paper towels. Sprinkle all over with salt and let sit for 10 minutes at room temperature. In a mortar or miniprocessor, mash to a paste the parsley, garlic, thyme and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Stir in the paprika and a little water if necessary to form a paste.

Keep the broth hot over the lowest heat. Preheat the over to 400F for gas oven , 450F for electric.

Heat 6 tablespoons of the oil in a paella pan measuring 17-18 inches at its widest (or in a shallow casserole of similar size), over 2 burners if necessary. Quickly sauté the monkfish, grouper, squid and shrimp (in their shells) 1-2 minutes (they should not be fully cooked). Remove the seafood to a warm platter. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil, the onion, scallions, and red peppers, and cook over medium-high heat until the vegetables are slightly softened. Raise the heat, add the tomato, and cook about 2 minutes.

Stir in the rice and coat well with the pan mixture. Pour in all the hot broth and bring to a boil. Continue to boil for about 3 minutes, stirring and rotating the pan occasionally. Add all the reserved fish (except the shrimp), the reserved mussel meat, and the mortar mixture. Taste for salt and continue to boil about 2 minutes more, until the rice is soupy by sufficient liquid remains to continue cooking the rice.

Arrange the shrimp and the uncooked mussels over the rice, placing the edge of the mussel shells that will open facing up. Transfer to the oven and cook, uncovered, until the rice is almost al dente, 10-12 minutes in a gas oven, 15-20 minutes electric. Remove to a warm spot (if most of the liquid has not been absorbed, place the pan over high heat for 1-2 minutes without stirring), then cover with foil and let it sit for 5-10 minutes, untol the rice is cooked to taste.