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VALENTINES PAELLA FOR TWO

OVERALL time: 55 mins

VALENTINES PAELLA FOR TWO

Whip up a seafood feast for your special someone come Valentine’s Day. This paella for two fits the bill perfectly. It’s smokey with a hint of peri peri spice – so simple to make and definitely special-occasion worthy.

Seafood |
Valentines day |
Feast |

Choose measurements conversions

Number of servings

ingredients

Main
  • 0.5 cup Frozen peas, defrosted
  • 5 ml Cape Herb and Spice Portuguese Peri Peri
  • 30 ml Olive oil
  • Lemon slices or wedges
  • Extra Spice for dusting, Cape Herb & Spice PORTUGUESE PERI PERI
  • 200 g Fresh mussels in the shell (or uncooked frozen mussels that have been defrosted)
  • 4 ml Salt
  • 6 Large prawns, vein removed
  • 1 cup White rice
  • 1 Large onion, finely chopped
  • 200 g Firm white fish (we use kingklip)
  • Coriander, finely chopped
  • 44 ml Vegetable oil, for frying the calamari
  • 7 cm Chorizo sausage, sliced
  • 1.5 cup Water
  • 2 Fat cloves garlic, finely sliced
  • 200 g Frozen uncooked calamari rings, defrosted (NB: plain rings, not battered rings)
  • 5 ml Cape Herb and Spice Portuguese Peri Peri
  • 1 ml Turmeric

THIS IS WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO DO

PREP TIME: 15 mins | COOKING TIME: 40 mins

Fry the chorizo sausage in the olive oil for a minute, then remove the chorizo. Add the onion to the same pan and fry over low heat until soft – take care not to brown or burn the onions. Add the garlic and the rice and stir-fry for a minute.  Add the white wine and cook for a minute, then add the water along with the Cape Herb & Spice Portugese Peri Peri Rub, smoked paprika, turmeric and salt.

Add the chorizo back to the pan, place the lid on and cook on very low heat for ten minutes. Add the white fish after ten minutes and continue cooking for five minutes. Then add the prawns and cook for a further five minutes. Finally add the mussels – it should take only about five minutes for the mussels to cook through. Stir and taste, and if the dish needs a bit of salt adjust accordingly. (Cook’s note: total cooking time for this dish is about 25 minutes. The seafood is added in sequence, according to how long the specific ingredient takes to cook. If the rice needs another minute or two to become soft once all the seafood is added, simply cook it for a further minute or two. If it needs more moisture, add water, but only a tablespoon or two – you don’t want watery paella!)

If cooked incorrectly calamari easily becomes tough, so we recommend it be cooked separately, very fast over very high heat. To cook the calamari, dust the rings liberally with our Cape Herb & Spice Portuguese Peri Peri rub. Heat a large non-stick pan and add three Tbsp of vegetable oil. Once the oil is very hot, pop in the calamari rings and stir-fry over high heat until done – it takes only about two minutes. Taste it and if it is cooked through but not yet rubbery it’s ready to come off the heat right away. Add the peas and calamari to the rest of the paella, stir through and you’re ready to serve. Garnish liberally with finely chopped coriander and serve with lemon wedges.

Recipe concept & photography by Lizet Hartley. Get more of her recipes on her blog at http://www.melkkos-merlot.co.za

Choose measurements conversions

ingredients

Main
  • 0.5 cup Frozen peas, defrosted
  • 5 ml Cape Herb and Spice Portuguese Peri Peri
  • 30 ml Olive oil
  • Lemon slices or wedges
  • Extra Spice for dusting, Cape Herb & Spice PORTUGUESE PERI PERI
  • 200 g Fresh mussels in the shell (or uncooked frozen mussels that have been defrosted)
  • 4 ml Salt
  • 6 Large prawns, vein removed
  • 1 cup White rice
  • 1 Large onion, finely chopped
  • 200 g Firm white fish (we use kingklip)
  • Coriander, finely chopped
  • 44 ml Vegetable oil, for frying the calamari
  • 7 cm Chorizo sausage, sliced
  • 1.5 cup Water
  • 2 Fat cloves garlic, finely sliced
  • 200 g Frozen uncooked calamari rings, defrosted (NB: plain rings, not battered rings)
  • 5 ml Cape Herb and Spice Portuguese Peri Peri
  • 1 ml Turmeric

Number of servings

THIS IS WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO DO

PREP TIME: 15 mins | COOKING TIME: 40 mins

Fry the chorizo sausage in the olive oil for a minute, then remove the chorizo. Add the onion to the same pan and fry over low heat until soft – take care not to brown or burn the onions. Add the garlic and the rice and stir-fry for a minute.  Add the white wine and cook for a minute, then add the water along with the Cape Herb & Spice Portugese Peri Peri Rub, smoked paprika, turmeric and salt.

Add the chorizo back to the pan, place the lid on and cook on very low heat for ten minutes. Add the white fish after ten minutes and continue cooking for five minutes. Then add the prawns and cook for a further five minutes. Finally add the mussels – it should take only about five minutes for the mussels to cook through. Stir and taste, and if the dish needs a bit of salt adjust accordingly. (Cook’s note: total cooking time for this dish is about 25 minutes. The seafood is added in sequence, according to how long the specific ingredient takes to cook. If the rice needs another minute or two to become soft once all the seafood is added, simply cook it for a further minute or two. If it needs more moisture, add water, but only a tablespoon or two – you don’t want watery paella!)

If cooked incorrectly calamari easily becomes tough, so we recommend it be cooked separately, very fast over very high heat. To cook the calamari, dust the rings liberally with our Cape Herb & Spice Portuguese Peri Peri rub. Heat a large non-stick pan and add three Tbsp of vegetable oil. Once the oil is very hot, pop in the calamari rings and stir-fry over high heat until done – it takes only about two minutes. Taste it and if it is cooked through but not yet rubbery it’s ready to come off the heat right away. Add the peas and calamari to the rest of the paella, stir through and you’re ready to serve. Garnish liberally with finely chopped coriander and serve with lemon wedges.

Recipe concept & photography by Lizet Hartley. Get more of her recipes on her blog at http://www.melkkos-merlot.co.za

Gallery

Products used in this recipe

Portuguese Peri Peri Rub

Portuguese Peri Peri Rub