Tastes of Spain: Paella seafood

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Bring a taste of coastal Spain to your table with this vibrant seafood paella, where golden saffron rice meets the freshest ocean flavours. Inspired by the shores of Valencia, this dish is a celebration of simple ingredients transformed into something truly special. Juicy prawns, tender mussels, and perfectly cooked rice come together in one pan, infused with garlic, paprika, and a hint of citrus. It’s not just a recipe, it’s an experience meant to be shared, savoured, and enjoyed with good company.

The name “paella” itself comes from the wide, shallow pan it’s cooked in, derived from the Latin word patella. Today, it stands as one of Spain’s most iconic dishes, bringing people together just as it did centuries ago—around fire, food, and shared stories.

While you hit play on our Spanish Playlist, pour yourself something refreshing and let’s make a traditional Paella – bringing the flavours of Spain to life and sparking a little wanderlust for your next unforgettable trip.

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon saffron
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 cup of boiling water
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 3tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 200g short-grain rice
• 1 litre chicken stock
• 400g flathead fillets
• 150g uncooked green prawns peeled
• 200g mussels, bearded and washed
• 150g calamari
• 150g peas
• 1/2 cup of flat-leaf parsley roughly chopped
• freshly ground pepper
• lemon wedges

Method

1. In a small non-stick frying pan, lightly toast saffron. Transfer to a cup, then crush and add paprika and boiling water. Stir to dissolve and set aside.
2. Heat oil in a large heavy based (or Paella) pan over medium heat. Add garlic and onion and cook for 5 minutes or until soft. Add tomato and cook for 3 minutes. Add rice and cook stirring to combine for a further 5 minutes.
3. Bring stock to a boil in a saucepan, add stock and saffron liquid rice mixture, stirring to combine. Simmer uncovered for 15 minutes.
4. Place fish, prawns, mussels and calamari on top of rice and cover pan and cook a further 10 minutes.
5. Add peas, re cover pan and cook another 5 minutes.
6. Springle paella with parsley and season with salt and pepper and serve with lemon wedges.

If you’d rather leave the paella to the experts and savour it from a sun-drenched table in a Spanish restaurant, speak to your personal travel manager about planning the ultimate trip to Spain.

Recipe credit: Community member Mike Hill provided a CSIRO recipe.

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