Whenever a craving for paella strikes, I usually hit up Cascal Restaurant in Mountain View or Iberia Restaurant in Belmont. Their twists on the Spanish rice dish never disappoint. I’ve been to both places multiple times – and will go back again and again.
I also hope to make a return trip to a few other local eateries with paella on the menu:
- Telefèric Barcelona in Palo Alto
- La Marcha in Berkeley
- Bellota and Coqueta in San Francisco
I’d recommend any of these establishments for the great food and atmosphere. And if you don’t feel like dining out, stay in and satisfy your appetite with homemade chorizo and shrimp paella. It rivals what you’d get at a restaurant, in my opinion.
The recipe has all the components of a good paella: sofrito, Bomba rice (which keeps its shape after cooking), meat and seafood. And the addition of olives is a bonus! Serve chorizo and shrimp paella with a green salad and your favorite wine and you’ll be on cloud nine. I guarantee it.
Recipe adapted from Bon Appétit.
- 1 medium onion, roughly chopped
- 2 stalks celery, roughly chopped
- 4 garlic cloves
- 2 small tomatoes, roughly chopped (see notes)
- ½ cup olive oil, divided
- 7 ounces Spanish chorizo, cut into ⅛"-thick rounds
- 12 ounces shrimp, peeled and deveined
- ¾ cup dry sherry
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon saffron
- 4¼ cups chicken broth
- 2 cups Bomba rice
- ½ cup pitted green olives, like Castelvetrano or Frescatrano, torn into ½" pieces
- 1 lemon, zest and juice, plus wedges for serving
- Aleppo pepper and fresh parsley (optional, for garnish)
- Combine the onion, celery and garlic in a food processor. Pulse until finely ground and transfer to a medium bowl.
- Place tomatoes in the food processor and purée until smooth. Transfer to bowl with onion, celery and garlic. Set aside.
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a paella or large shallow fry pan over medium-high heat. Add chorizo and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side until browned. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Add shrimp to pan and cook for 1-2 minutes on each side until opaque in the center. Transfer to plate with chorizo.
- Heat remaining 6 tablespoons olive oil in the pan over medium-high heat. Add sofrito and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.
- Add sherry and bring to a boil. Simmer until the liquid has reduced by half, about 3 minutes.
- Add smoked paprika, salt and sugar and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens, 8-10 minutes.
- Add saffron and chicken broth and bring to a boil.
- Add rice; cook, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes. Reduce heat to low and simmer, without stirring, until the liquid is absorbed, 15-20 minutes; rotate pan every 5 minutes.
- Scatter the olives, lemon zest, and prepared chorizo and shrimp on top. Drizzle with lemon juice and garnish with Aleppo pepper and parsley, if using. Serve with lemon wedges.
