For last night’s New Year’s Eve dinner, I decided to make Mixed Paella. The Paella is a rice dish that originates from Valencia, Spain. Although many forms of the dish exist, there are three types which are generally more well known, namely the Seafood Paella, Valencian Paella and the Mixed Paella.

The Mixed Paella is comprised of a mixture of seafood, meat, rice and vegetables. It’s a very delicious, festive and colourful dish. Ideal for celebrating the new year 🙂

The Paella is traditionally cooked in a paellera (a flat round pan with two handles)  over an open fire and is served directly from the pan. If you don’t own a paellera, you can use a similar kind of flat pan which should also work fine.

To make this Mixed Paella you’ll need:

12 mussels

12 fresh tiger prawns

2 crabs

2 cups water

2 skinless chicken thigh fillets, cut into serving pieces

4 chorizo sausages, cubed

2 tsp smoked paprika

1/2 green capsicum, chopped

1/2 red capsicum, chopped

3 cups medium grain rice

6 cups chicken or fish stock

1 can peeled tomatoes

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped.

1 tsp saffron

olive oil

Salt and pepper

1 medium lemon, sliced.

1. Clean the mussels then place in a large pan with 1/2 cup of water. Steam until the shells open discarding any that remain closed. Set aside.
2. Place the crabs and 1 1/2 cups or so of water in a separate pan and boil until cooked. Set aside.
3. In your paellera (or your alternative cooking/serving pan)  heat about 4 Tbs olive oil and brown the chicken. Set aside and keep warm.
4. In the same pan, cook the  chorizo. Transfer to a plate when cooked and keep warm.
5. Add the prawns and cook for several minutes until the colour changes. Transfer to a plate  and cover with foil.
6. Sauté the garlic and onion.
7. Add the chopped capsicum, tomato, rice and paprika. Stir until combined then reduce the heat to medium low.
8. Add the saffron and 2 cups of the stock. Stir the rice until combined.
9. Add the chicken and chorizo along with another 2 cups of the stock. Simmer for about 5 minutes.
10. Stir in the remaining stock and simmer for a further 10 minutes or until the stock is absorbed. Season with a little salt and pepper to taste.
11. Stir in half the prawns.
12. Quarter one crab and stir into the rice. Keep the other for garnishing.
13. Arrange the crab, prawns and mussels on top of the rice.
14. Turn off the heat and cover with a clean tea towel or with foil. Set aside for about 15-20 minutes.
15. Garnish the dish with a few pieces of sliced lemon before serving.