Paella is a hearty meal that presents beautifully and tastes so good. With summer vegetables like corn and peas in season and shrimp fresh from the Gulf, it is a great time to enjoy a Southern summer paella. So pour a glass of rose, have the people you love gather in the kitchen, and enjoy a night of TLC (tender lovin’ cooking).
Southern Paella
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 lb mussels, cleaned and de-bearded
- 1 small onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, diced
- 1 red pepper
- Salt (about a tsp)
- Pepper (about a tsp)
- 2 cups short grain rice (arborio or paella)
- 2 Tbsp Old Bay seasoning
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 1 14.5oz can diced tomatoes with juice
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 3/4 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 cup fresh purple hull or black eyed peas
- 3 ears of corn, cut into 3rds
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
Directions:
Peel and clean shrimp and clean and de-beard mussels.
In a large cast iron skillet or heavy bottom Le Creuset heat olive oil over medium heat. Sauté onions, red pepper, and garlic seasoning with salt and pepper. Cook until onion becomes translucent, about 3-5 minutes. Add in rice and old bay seasoning. Cook the rice, stirring frequently until rice has toasted, about 3-5 minutes. Pour in wine and deglaze skillet, making sure to scrape up any rice that has gotten stuck to bottom of pan.
Add in canned tomatoes and stir to combine. Cook until tomato rice mixture has lost all liquid. Pour 1 cup of broth into skillet and stir to combine. Add in fresh cherry tomatoes and peas. Cook until broth evaporates and continue adding liquid 1 cup at a time until all broth has been used – this should take about 20-30 minutes.
Meanwhile, roast ears of corn until they begin to blacken. Set aside for serving. After all broth has cooked through, stir in mussels. Let cook for 5 minutes. Add shrimp and turn off heat and cover until shrimp becomes opaque. Top with roasted corn and serve warm.