This paella is packed with seafood flavor thanks to a homemade broth made from shrimp shells, squid eyes, and even the innards. The rice absorbs the rich aroma and umami of the seafood—absolutely delicious!
To boost the flavor, I keep the shrimp heads and tails on, while removing the middle shells and legs for easier eating. Squid eyes and innards, which we often throw away, transform into an incredibly rich broth when simmered slowly.
Ingredients
| Rice | 1 cup |
| Head-on shrimp | 5～10 |
| Squid | 100g |
| Garlic | 1 clove |
| Onion | 1/4 |
| Tomato | 1 |
| Olive oil | 1 tbsp + 1 tbsp |
| White wine | 1 tbsp |
| Water | 150ml+ |
| Saffron | a pinch |
| Paprika powder | 1 tsp |
| Salt & black pepper | to taste |
| Lemon | 1/2 |
| Italian parsley | 2-5 sprigs |
Instructions
1⃣ Prep the ingredients
Finely chop the tomato, onion, and garlic. Cut the lemon into wedges and keep the parsley leaves for topping.
Remove the shrimp shells and devein them, keeping only the heads and tails. Remove the squid eyes and innards, then slice the squid into rings.
Keep the shrimp shells and squid eyes/innards (optional) for making the broth.
2⃣ Make the seafood broth
Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a pan and sauté the shrimp shells and, if you like, the squid eyes and innards.
Once cooked, add 150 ml water and 1 tbsp white wine, then simmer over medium heat for about 10 minutes.
Strain and keep only the broth.
If you don’t like squid eyes or innards, you can skip them.
3⃣ Cook the base
Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in the pan and sauté the chopped garlic and onions over medium heat.
When softened, add the chopped tomato and paprika powder. Continue cooking until most of the moisture evaporates.
4⃣ Toast the rice
Add the uncooked rice (do not wash) and a pinch of saffron, then sauté together.
This recipe uses less olive oil for a lighter finish. If you prefer a crispy socarrat (toasty crust), add 1 more tablespoon of olive oil and mix well with the rice.
5⃣ Add the broth
Combine the seafood broth with water to make a total of 250 ml.
Spread the rice evenly and pour in the liquid.
6⃣ Add the seafood
Arrange the shrimp and squid on top. Cover and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes (check around 5 minutes to ensure it’s not burning), then reduce to low heat and cook another 8 minutes.
7⃣ Steam
Turn off the heat and let it sit for about 10 minutes.
8⃣ Finish
Top with Italian parsley and lemon wedges.
If you get a light crispy crust on the bottom, it’s perfect!
The seafood itself provides quite a bit of natural saltiness, so I didn’t include salt amounts in the recipe. Adjust with salt and pepper if needed. Personally, I love eating this paella with aioli sauce—no extra salt needed!
Because this paella uses less olive oil, it pairs amazingly well with aioli.
Here is my aioli recipe:
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