Saffron Seafood Rice with Shrimp, Mussels, and Squid

— The Method

How it comes together.

1. Step 01

   Warm the seafood stock with the saffron and white wine in a saucepan and keep it just below a simmer so the saffron has time to bloom and the liquid is hot when it meets the rice. In a wide paella pan or broad skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat and cook the onion for 5 to 6 minutes until soft and sweet, then add the garlic and tomato. Let that mixture cook down into a concentrated sofrito, stirring often, until it loses its rawness and turns jammy and brick red. Add the paprika at the end for just a few seconds so it blooms in the oil without burning.

2. Step 02

   Add the calamari and cook for about 1 minute, then stir in the rice and coat every grain in the sofrito so it turns glossy and lightly toasted. Pour in the hot saffron stock, season with salt and pepper, and shake the pan to settle everything into an even layer; from here, do not stir the rice the way you would a risotto. Cook over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes, rotating the pan if needed so the liquid reduces evenly, then lower to medium and nestle in the shrimp, mussels, clams, and peas. As the shellfish open and the rice rises through the broth, the pan should smell intensely marine, floral, and slightly smoky.

3. Step 03

   Continue cooking for another 8 to 12 minutes until the rice is tender but still structured and most of the liquid has disappeared. In the last couple of minutes, listen closely for a faint crackling from the bottom of the pan; that is the socarrat forming, and it is exactly what I want as long as it smells nutty instead of burnt. Remove the pan from the heat, cover loosely with a towel or foil, and let it rest for 5 minutes so the grains finish relaxing and the shellfish settle. Scatter parsley over the top, bring lemon wedges to the table, and serve straight from the pan while the contrast between juicy seafood and crisp-bottomed rice is still at its best.