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a saffron-gold seafood paella soup in a wide shallow bowl, plump mussels and pink shrimp over golden rice with peas, garnished with parsley and lemon wedges, on a sunny tiled table, natural light, shallow depth of field, landscape orientation

Spanish Seafood Paella with Mussels

Ammar's version of saffron and tomato soup features bits of rice along with shrimp, mussels, and spicy paprika.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 medium onion diced
  • 1 red bell pepper diced
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 pinch saffron threads
  • 1 cup crushed tomatoes
  • 1 cup short-grain rice
  • 5 cups seafood stock
  • 1 lb mussels scrubbed and debearded
  • 12 large shrimp peeled
  • 0.5 cup frozen peas
  • lemon wedges and parsley for serving

Method
 

  1. Heat the olive oil in a wide pot and soften the onion and bell pepper for 6 minutes, then add the garlic, paprika, and saffron for 1 minute.
  2. Stir in the crushed tomatoes and cook 3 minutes until slightly thickened.
  3. Add the rice and stock, bring to a simmer, and cook uncovered for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  4. Nestle in the mussels, cover, and cook 4 minutes until they begin to open.
  5. Add the shrimp and peas and cook another 3 to 4 minutes until the shrimp are pink and the mussels are fully open.
  6. Discard any unopened mussels, then serve with lemon wedges and parsley.

Notes

Toast the saffron between your fingers before adding it to wake up the flavor and color.