Paella mixta

This paella mixta brings land and sea together in one glorious pan. Golden chicken, tender squid rings, plump prawns and glossy mussels sit in saffron-scented Spanish rice, stained deep amber and rich with smoked paprika and sweet grated tomato. Every forkful tastes of sunshine, and the crisp base underneath is the best bit.

By Omar Allibhoy
From Saturday Kitchen Recipes

Nutri-Score B — Paella mixta scores well thanks to its generous mix of lean protein from chicken, prawns, squid and mussels, plus tomatoes and heart-friendly extra virgin olive oil. The Spanish paella rice provides steady energy, while saffron and smoked paprika deliver big flavour with no added fat or sugar. Keep the added salt light and this paella mixta makes a genuinely balanced main course. 

Per serving (approximate): 760 kcal | 30g fat | 5g saturated fat | 88g carbohydrates | 4g sugars | 3g fibre | 40g protein | 1.8g salt

Method

Stage 1 — Prepare the Saffron Stock and Tomatoes (10 minutes, can be done ahead)

1. Infuse the stock with saffron. Pour the shellfish stock into a saucepan, warm it through, and add the saffron. Let it sit over the lowest possible heat while you get on with everything else. Giving the saffron this gentle time to steep coaxes out its colour and gorgeous perfume, and adding hot stock later keeps the paella rice cooking evenly.
2. Grate the tomatoes. Halve the tomatoes and grate the cut sides on a box grater into a bowl, holding onto the skin as you go. You will be left with the skins in your hand and a lovely fresh pulp in the bowl. Set this aside. It is the classic Spanish way and it gives the paella mixta a natural sweetness without any watery bits.
3. Get everything prepped and within reach. Chop the garlic, cut the chicken legs into two pieces each, slice the squid into rings, and scrub the mussels. Paella moves quickly once the pan is hot, so having every component ready makes the whole thing relaxed and enjoyable. You can do all of this an hour or two ahead and keep it chilled.

Stage 2 — Build the Sofrito Base (20 minutes)

1. Sear the prawns first. Set a 30–35cm paella pan over a low heat and pour in the olive oil. Add the shell-on prawns and cook on one side only for 2 minutes. Lift them out and set them aside. That brief sear leaves all their sweet shellfish flavour behind in the oil, which the paella rice will soak up later.
2. Brown the chicken. Add the chicken pieces to the same flavoured oil and fry for around 10 minutes, turning them so they colour golden on all sides. Take your time here, because those crisp golden edges are pure flavour and they season the whole paella mixta from the ground up.
3. Add the squid. Tip in the squid rings and fry for about 5 minutes, until they turn golden at the edges. Season everything with a pinch of salt. Frying the squid alongside the chicken keeps it tender and adds another layer of savoury depth to the base.
4. Make the sofrito. Stir in the chopped garlic, followed quickly by the sweet smoked paprika and the grated tomato. Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring often. Keep the heat moderate, because smoked paprika turns bitter if it catches, and you want it fragrant rather than scorched. The pan should smell absolutely wonderful at this point.

Stage 3 — Cook the Paella Rice (20 minutes, hands-off for most of it)

1. Toast the rice in the sofrito. Scatter in the Spanish paella rice and stir for 2 minutes so every grain gets a glossy coating of the oil and sofrito. This little step helps the rice hold its shape and drink up all that saffron stock without turning claggy.
2. Add the hot saffron stock. Carefully pour in the hot stock and stir well to spread the rice evenly across the pan. Taste the liquid and add salt if it needs it, because this is your last real chance to season the paella mixta properly. Once the rice is spread out, resist stirring again from here on.
3. Cook over high heat, then low. Turn the heat up high and cook for 10 minutes, then drop it to low and cook for a further 5 minutes without stirring. Leaving it undisturbed is what lets the bottom layer caramelise into the socarrat, that prized crisp crust every paella lover hunts for.
4. Check the mussels. While the paella rice cooks, look over your mussels and discard any with broken shells, along with any that stay open when you tap them. It only takes a moment and it means every mussel you serve is perfect.

Stage 4 — Finish and Rest (10 minutes)

1. Add the shellfish. Nestle the mussels into the rice and return the prawns to the pan, cooked-side up. Cook for a further 4 minutes, or until the prawns turn opaque, the mussels open up and the chicken is cooked right through. Discard any mussels that stay stubbornly shut.
2. Rest before serving. Take the paella pan off the heat and leave it to rest for 5 minutes. This short pause lets the rice settle and absorb the last of the saffron stock, so every grain is perfectly cooked. Bring the whole pan to the table and serve the paella mixta straight from it, scraping up that crisp base as you go.

Tips for the Best Paella Mixta

• Always add the stock hot. Cold stock drops the pan temperature and cooks the paella rice unevenly.
• Sear the prawns on one side only at the start, then finish them at the end. This keeps them sweet and juicy rather than rubbery.
• Keep the heat gentle when the smoked paprika goes in, since it burns easily and can turn the whole paella mixta bitter.
• Spread the rice evenly the moment the stock goes in, then leave it completely alone for the rest of the cooking time.
• Do not skip the 5 minute rest. It makes a noticeable difference to the texture of the finished rice.
• Serve the paella mixta straight from the pan with lemon wedges and a simple green salad alongside.

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