Shrimp Paella with Salmoretta Red Pepper Sauce

Main Course

Recipe courtesy of Paella! by Penelope Casas

Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients: 

Broth

  • 8 cups water or clam juice
  • 1 dozen large clams, cleansed
  • ¼ teaspoon crumbled thread saffron
  • Salt
  • 2 sprigs parsley
  • 2 dried mild New Mexico peppers, cored and seeded (otherwise use 2 tablespoons sweet paprika, preferably Spanish smoked, and 1 fresh red bell pepper)
  • 4 small whole tomatoes

Paella

  • 1 pound small to medium shrimp in their shells
  • Salmorreta Red Pepper Sauce (recipe follows)
  • 16 to 24 extra-large shrimp in their shells, preferably with heads
  • 2 large cleaned squid (about 1/2, pound), with or without tentacles, finely chopped
  • 8 tablespoons olive oil
  • 12 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons minced parsley
  • 1 teaspoon sweet paprika, preferably Spanish smoked
  • 3 cups imported Spanish or Arborio short-grain rice

Salmorreta Sauce

  • 2 tomatoes (reserved from the seafood stock)
  • 2 mild New Mexico peppers, finely chopped
  • 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
  • 2 tablespoons minced parsley
  • 6 cloves garlic, minced
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher sale
  • 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Shrimp Paella with Salmoretta Red Pepper Sauce

Shrimp Paella with Salmoretta Red Pepper Sauce

Click image to enlarge

 

Method: 

To make the broth, combine in a large pot the water, clams, saffron, salt, parsley; dried peppers, and tomatoes. Shell the small shrimp and add the shells to the broth. Bring to a boil and sim­mer about 30 minutes. Remove the dried peppers and 2 of the tomatoes to a platter. Strain the rest of the broth, pressing with the back of a wooden spoon to extract as much liquid as possi­ble, and measure to 6 cups. Scrape the flesh from the peppers and add to the broth.

Make the salmorreta sauce according to the instructions, using the 2 reserved tomatoes,

skinned and seeded, instead of the tomatoes called for in the salmorreta recipe. Keep the broth hot over the lowest heat.

Preheat the oven to 400° F for gas oven, 450° F for electric.

Cut the small shelled shrimp crosswise into halves or thirds. Sprinkle the shelled shrimp, the unshelled extra-large shrimp, and squid all over with salt. Heat the oil in a paella pan mea­suring 17 to 18 inches at its widest point (or in a shallow casserole of a similar size), over 2 burners if necessary. Sauté the unshelled shrimp over medium heat until just cooked through. Set aside.

Add the garlic, shelled shrimp, squid, and parsley to the pan and cook 1 minute or so. Stir in the paprika and 4 tablespoons of the salmorreta sauce. Add the rice and coat well with the pan mixture. Pour in the broth, bring to a boil, and boil, stirring and rotating the pan occasion­ally, until the rice is no longer soupy but sufficient liquid remains to continue cooking the rice, approximately 5 minutes. Transfer to the oven and cook, uncovered, for 10-12 minutes in a gas oven, 15-20 minutes electric, until the rice is almost al dente. Remove to a warm spot, arrange the large shrimp over the rice, cover with foil, and let sit 5-10 minutes, until the rice is cooked to taste.

To make the Salmoretta Sauce

Remove and discard the skin and seeds from the tomatoes; coarsely chop. Put the peppers, paprika, parsley, garlic, and salt in a food processor and process until ground; stir in the oil and lemon juice. Let sit at least 30 minutes to soften the peppers. The sauce will keep for up to 24 hours, refrigerated.

 

Similar Recipes by course
Spanish Pork Tenderloin Bites My Mom's Chicken and Dumplings Champagne Chicken Grilled Chicken with Shawarma Spices Butter-Poached Shrimp Seafood Creole
Summer Shrimp Wraps Shrimp Fricassee Gnocchi with Ricotta Grilled Guajillo Chicken Steak Meuniere Pan-Fried Pork Chops with Roasted Green Beans and Pecans

Louisiana Recipes Weekly



 

Every Thursday you'll receive new recipes, events & festivals and more. See archive