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Paella w/ Brown Rice, Saffron, & Shrimp

Paella w/ Brown Rice, Saffron, & Shrimp

This Brown Rice Paella combines Patagonian shrimp, red bell peppers, tomatoes, peas, and saffron fronds for a delectable seafood entrée. More commonly made with bomba or similar Italian rice variety, I've opted for brown rice in this recipe. Brown rice won't cook exactly the same. It's a denser rice and takes far longeer to cook. However, it won't break down and you don't have to worry about it sticking together. So, it works fine as a substitute! As does black rice and wild rice.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Spanish
Servings 8 servings

Equipment

  • Paella Pan (or other large, shallow pan)
  • Food Processor (optional)
  • Skillet (optional)

Ingredients
  

  • 2 tbsp. olive oil divided 1 tbsp. + 1 tbsp.
  • 1 shallot minced
  • 6 cloves garlic minced
  • 8 small tomatoes (or 4 large) puréed
  • 1 red bell pepper puréed
  • 3 bay leaves
  • dash salt
  • dash pepper
  • 1½ c. rice (ordinarily white bomba, I used brown jasmine)
  • 1 c. dry white wine (I used sauvignon blanc)
  • 6 c. vegetable broth (48 fl. oz.)
  • 1 tsp. saffron
  • 1 tsp. smoked paprika
  • 1/2 c. peas
  • 1 lbs. shrimp

Instructions
 

Paella Rice

  • Add 1 tablespoon olive oil, shallots, and garlic to the paella pan. Cook on medium-low heat (4 on my stove) until translucent, about 5-8 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, either finely dice the tomatoes and bell pepper or pulse in a food processor.
    I tend to prefer a food processor for puréeing tomatoes when recipes tend to call for tomato paste. Because I absolutely refuse to buy tomatoes in a can! But this isn't necessary. You can finely dice them.
  • Add tomatoes, bell peppers, bay leaves, salt, and pepper to the pan. Cook for another 2 minutes.
  • Stir in rice so that it’s coated in the oil and other ingredients.
  • Add wine and broth and simmer, uncovered, for 50 minutes, or until tender (still a 4 on my stove). You may need to add the liquid gradually as it cooks if your pan isn't large enough. I started with half the amount of liquid and then added it slowly as the rice became less covered. It’s okay if the rice starts to poke through. Just make sure that it’s predominantly covered with broth at all times. You will also need to turn the heat down towards the end of the cooking process as the rice is cooked and the liquid simmers out.
    It's important not to stir the rice! It should slightly stick to the bottom of the pan. This is called the “soccarat” and is supposed to be the best part. Stirring can cause the starch to release and make a gluey consistency, more like risotto than paella. Although this is slightly less of an issue with brown rice than it is for more traditional bomba rice.
    If you do use bomba or other white rice, cut the simmering time and liquid in half.
    I also wasn’t entirely sure how well my tiny stove was going to heat this giant paella pan. A lot of people cook paella on a barbecue to accommodate this. I don't currently have a barbecue, though, so I put it across two burners for a more even heat. I turned it halfway several times throughout the cooking process to avoid hot spots.

Shrimp

  • Towards the end of the rice cooking process (roughly 15 minutes before it's done), preheat 1 tablespoon oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.
    You can cook the shrimp in the rice. This is more traditional. Simply add with the next step when the saffron, smoked paprika, and peas are added. However, I cooked mine separately because I live alone and will have leftover paella rice longer than the shrimp will be good for. Cooking and storing them separately will allow them to still be eaten together, but won't cause the rice to turn prematurely!
  • Add whole shrimp to the skillet and turn in the oil.
  • Cook, turning occasionally, for 3-5 minutes, or until the shrimp is cooked.
    Shrimp is done when the meat reaches 135-140 degrees Fahrenheit. At this point the shell should be bright red and the inner meat should be white, not grey or translucent. The tails should also curl in to create a spiral.

Assemble Paella

  • After the rice has cooked and is tender, add saffron, smoked paprika, and peas. Stir to combine. Also adjust salt and pepper to taste, if necessary. Simmer for an additional 5-8 minutes.
  • Add shrimp on top and serve immediately.
    I like the look of the whole shrimp and usually cook and serve them with the shell still on. Obviously this isn't edible, though, and will need to be removed before eating! You can remove the shells and dice the shrimp before serving if you prefer.

Tips, Tricks, & Notes

  • I used brown rice. This is not traditional. Most paellas will use bomba or other paella rice. You can substitute brown, black, or wild rice because it keeps its shape. Although make sure to avoid starchier rices, like arborio or carnaroli. I have two articles on What’s the Difference Between Types of Rice? and The Fundamentals of Cooking Rice for more information on different types of rice and tips for cooking rice, particularly brown rice.