Seafood Paella with Saffron, Chorizo and Shellfish

This Seafood Paella is a vibrant one-pan dish that brings the taste of coastal Spain right to your kitchen. Brimming with succulent shrimp, mussels, clams, and smoky chorizo, it's built on a base of perfectly cooked saffron-infused rice, crisped just right on the bottom for that golden, toasty socarrat.

This recipe blends traditional ingredients with a few modern shortcuts for an approachable yet impressive paella you can serve any night of the week.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe:

• Big bold flavor with simple ingredients

• Naturally gluten-free and customizable

• Show-stopping for gatherings or date nights

• No special pan required (though a paella pan helps!)

• Beautifully layered textures and aromas

Final Thoughts:

This Seafood Paella is a celebration of texture, color, and flavor — rich saffron rice, smoky chorizo, and briny shellfish cooked to perfection. Whether you're new to paella or a longtime fan, this recipe makes it easy to bring Spanish sunshine and flavor to your table, one golden spoonful at a time.

Yield: 4-6 servings

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Seafood Paella with Saffron, Chorizo and Shellfish

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 30 MinTotal time: 45 Min

This Seafood Paellais a vibrant one-pan dish that brings the taste of coastal Spain right to your kitchen. Brimming withsucculent shrimp, mussels, clams, and smoky chorizo, it's built on a base of perfectly cookedsaffron-infused rice, crisped just right on the bottom for that golden, toastysocarrat.

Ingredients

For the Base

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ red bell pepper, diced
• 1 cup arborio or Spanish Bomba rice
• 1 pinch saffron threads, soaked in 2 tbsp warm water
• ½ tsp smoked paprika
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• ½ cup dry white wine
• 3 cups warm seafood or chicken stock

For the Seafood and Protein

• 8–10 raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 8 mussels, cleaned and debearded
• 6 clams, scrubbed
• 1 cup calamari rings (optional)
• 4 oz Spanish chorizo, sliced and lightly browned (optional but delicious)

For the Garnish

• Fresh parsley, chopped
• Lemon wedges
• Extra olive oil for drizzling

Instructions

1. In a large skillet or paella pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Sauté onion and red pepper for 3–4 minutes until softened. Stir in garlic, paprika, and rice. Toast for 2 minutes until the rice is slightly translucent.
2. Add the white wine and simmer for 1 minute to deglaze the pan. Stir in saffron (with soaking water) and warm stock. Season with salt and pepper. Lower the heat and simmer uncovered without stirring for 15–18 minutes.
3. Tuck in shrimp, clams, mussels, and calamari. Nestle in chorizo slices. Cover the pan with foil or a lid and cook for 6–8 more minutes until shellfish opens and shrimp is opaque. (Discard any unopened clams/mussels.)
4. Remove the lid and increase heat for 1–2 minutes to crisp the rice at the bottom — listen for a gentle crackling. Don’t stir!
5. Remove from heat and let sit 5 minutes. Garnish with chopped parsley and lemon wedges. Serve straight from the pan.

Notes

Don’t stir the rice once broth is added — this helps create that crispy socarrat!

Use vegetable stock and skip chorizo for a pescatarian version

Add peas or artichokes for extra color and flavor

Make ahead: You can prep the base and par-cook the rice earlier in the day, then finish with seafood just before serving

Nutrition Facts

Calories

533

Sugar

5 g

Protein

27 g

Fat

21 g

Carbs

50 g

Sat. Fat

5 g

Cholesterol

192 mg

Fiber

1 g

Net carbs

49 g

Sodium

500 mg

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.