I am sooo excited about this recipe! For so long I have been wanting to make paella but I’ve been put off by how complicated I thought it must be! So instead of making it, I’ve just made risottos or orzo instead! Crazy right? Why didn’t I just read up about it to being with?!
This Salmon and Meat paella is honestly one of the easiest recipes I’ve created, so please try it, you’ll be so pleased with it!
The Magic of Ibiza
My love for paella really only began when we started holidaying in Ibiza. If you’ve read my travel posts you’ll know that I love Ibiza, my husband loves it and my kids even call it the magic island! Until lockdown we visited Ibiza once or twice a year, but Covid has put a stop to that for the last 12 months.
Anyway, the first thing we do when we arrive in Ibiza is go for a fabulous lunch at our number 1 paella place, Restaurante Sa Caleta! It’s a beautiful place on a little beach, Sa Caleta, on the South of the island. The beach is stunning and we just feel time slow right down as we sit and drink our rosé, whilst gazing out at the idyllic view with the sand literally beneath our feet! Oh to be back there again!! The paella at Sa Caleta is incredible. Just stunning. If I could make paella like that back in London, I would be ecstatic! Alas, my version is really not anywhere on a par with it but I have to say, I was pretty impressed with my first attempt which I will be sharing with you today.
Now, my paella is exactly that – my version of paella. It’s really delicious but it’s by no means an authentic paella – it might be close but if you want a truly authentic version, you might be better off searching for one made by one of the kings or queens of Spanish cuisine!
But you know what mine is? It’s quick, it’s simple, it’s so unbelievably delicious. So I can totally vouch for my dish, as can my family! Go on try it!
So any tips for this Salmon & Meat paella?
Well, as it happens there are a few things I would like to point out!
I used a paella pan for this dish. You might be able to make it in a large frying pan – I’m not sure, but to be honest, they’re not that expensive unless you want to go for a super duper one. I am not going to be cooking it weekly, so I just went for a regular priced one – I think it will make your life easier if you do get one though!
The other kitchen appliance I use to cook the salmon and the chicken is an air fryer. I may have mentioned air fryers before, especially on my instagram posts! I am in love with mine! It’s just fantastic for cooking so many things. It also uses less electricity than a conventional oven. So for this dish, the salmon fillets cooked in 7 minutes and the chicken pieces cooked in 10 minutes (after browning). In an oven, the salmon alone would have taken around 15 minutes.
The final part is the rice. You can’t just use any rice for paella – it should really be paella rice . Using this will mean that you get the right consistency for your paella. The water : rice ratio will be different for other types of rice. I have only tried it with paella rice!
Ok I think that’s it. There are quite a few ingredients but don’t let that put you off – it really is simple. If you want, leave out the prawns or the chicken or even the salmon! I just put them all together because I wanted to do something slightly different and oh my, was it worth it!!
My Stunning Salmon and Meat Paella
Equipment
- Paella pan
- Air fryer
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic grated
- 1 pinch saffron strands
- 3 fillets salmon
- 500 ml chicken stock
- 2 tsp sweet, smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp sriracha sauce
- 2 chorizo sausages or the equivalent amount of chorizo
- 6 chicken thighs – bones in
- 250 g spanish paella rice
- 1 red pepper chopped
- ½ can tomatoes or equivalent amount of fresh chopped tomatoes
- 300 ml boiling water
- 200 g raw prawns you can use cooked prawns but add them towards the end of cooking time
- olive oil to fry
- lemon wedges, parsley and chives to garnish
Instructions
- Heat the stock and stir the saffron strands into it. Let stand for 15-20 minutes.
- Mix the sriracha sauce with 1 tsp of sweet paprika and then marinade the salmon fillets in this for 20 minutes
- Remove the casing from the chorizo and chop into bite size pieces. Add one tbsp olive oil to the paella pan and fry the chorizo for 3-4 minutes until nice and crispy on the outside. Remove with a slotted spoon to some kitchen towel
- Chop the chicken thighs in half or thirds depending on size and fry each piece skin side down in the chorizo oil so that they are browned all over.
- Remove and either air fry for 10 minutes on 180 Celsius or bake in the oven on 180 Celsius until cooked through (around 15-20 minutes depending on size)
- Add the onion and garlic to the paella pan with 2 tbsp olive oil and sweat until soft. Add the chopped red peppers and one tsp of sweet paprika and continue stirring for another 2-3 minutes.
- Now stir in the Spanish rice making sure the heat is high. Make sure the rice is nicely coated in the onion and oil mix.
- Add the saffron infused stock, the tomatoes and the boiling water to the pan. Stir well, scraping any bits from the bottom of the pan so that they are mixed in well.
- Cover and simmer for 10 minutes or until the rice is cooked.
- Meanwhile, pan fry the salmon in 1 tbsp oil or air fry for 7 minutes on 180 Celsius.
- Pan fry the prawns with grated garlic and salt and a knob of butter until they are cooked – timings will depend on size of prawns and whether they are raw or cooked. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Remove the paella from heat. Arrange the chorizo, chicken pieces and half the salmon flakes on top of the rice. Place the pan under a hot grill for 5-6 minutes.
- Remove from grill and add the prawns, the rest of the salmon, lemon wedges and chives and serve immediately.
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