This easy recipe of sausage and shrimp paella is my version to help you make delicious Spanish paella at home without much fuss.
Even before starting with anything, let me state the disclaimer first. This recipe of sausage and shrimp paella, by no means, is an absolutely authentic paella recipe! It is my version of paella which I have tweaked according to our taste and liking.
Paella is a gorgeous Spanish dish loaded with seafood and sausages. The distinctive saffron color of paella gives it an extra ordinary feature making it incredibly attractive.
Now my paella contains shrimps as the only seafood as we are not too fond of clams or mussels. Also I used chicken sausage whereas authentic Spanish paella use chorizo which is very rarely available here in my city.
Even after all these modifications and adaptations this sausage and shrimp paella turned out to be a Rockstar!
It not only looks fantastic but is a real killer in terms of taste and flavor. If you have already fallen in love with its good looks, give it a try and there will be no looking back henceforth!
While researching about paella, I got to know about Bomba rice which is the Spanish rice used in traditional paella. But it’s almost impossible to get my hands on it, so I used our regular rice and I was happy with it.
You won’t need a long grain rice for paella. Any short grain rice with good amount of starch will work nicely for the paella recipe.
Now there is one ingredient which you must not substitute and I can’t stress enough on it! That ingredient is the saffron infused shrimp stock which on one hand lends the gorgeous saffron color to the paella and on the other hand adds the intense seafood flavor to the rice.
The saffron color and the rich shrimp flavor are the specialties of paella which gives it its exclusiveness, so, please please do not substitute it with chicken stock or water; just check out my short & swift video on how to make shrimp stock quick and easy.
It’s just a matter of few minutes and you will be able to create amazing Spanish paella at home to delight yourself and your friends & family!
Life is all about learning new things in each passing day and take a step further in what you love to do for living.
This blog has given me a space to nurture my passion for food and cooking and allow me to learn about enumerable cuisines across the globe.
I know this journey is never ending and that’s what excites me the most. I will never be out of recipe and there will always be something new to cook and taste!
I am pretty sure that had it not been for the blog, I would have never thought of making paella at home. Rather I would have enjoyed it occasionally in some Spanish restaurants and wonder how could they make such a wonderful dish.
My blog has helped me realize that when you learn something with your utmost passion, nothing is impossible; not even cooking a lip-smacking Spanish paella in a typical Indian kitchen!
- Chicken sausage – 1 cup, cut into ¼ inch roundels
- Shrimps – 500 gms, peeled and deveined
- Onion – 1, large, finely chopped
- Garlic – 10 to 12 cloves, minced
- Vegetable oil – 2 tbsp
- White rice – 1 cup, uncooked
- Salt – 2 tsp
- Paprika – 1 tsp
- Green peas – ½ cup, fresh or frozen
- Red bell pepper – 1, small, cut into thin strips
- Saffron infused shrimp stock – 2 cups, hot
- Fresh parsley leaves to garnish
- Heat oil in a shallow skillet. If possible, get hold of the classic paella pan. If not go ahead and use a similar pan as I have used shown in the video.
- Tip in the sausage roundels and sauté for 5 minutes on medium heat.
- Once the sauce turns little golden on the edges, add the chopped onion and minced garlic. Sauté for 5 to 10 minutes on medium flame until onions turn translucent and soft.
- Next add in the uncooked rice and stir well. Season with half of the salt and paprika. Tip in the green peas and mix everything well. Sauté them for 5 more minutes.
- Now flatted the rice using a spatula keeping as much an uniform distribution of sausage and peas as possible.
- Then arrange the shrimps in a circular fashion until the rice is fully covered. Arrange the bell pepper strips in the gaps between the shrimps. Season the shrimps with remaining salt and paprika.
- Now pour in the hot saffron infused shrimp stock making sure all the rice is well inside the liquid. Give the skillet a little shake.
- Simmer the paella for 20 minutes until all the liquid is absorbed and the rice is all cooked through. Just in case your rice is not cooked with 2 cups of stock, add another half cup of boiling water around the edges and cover for 5 more minutes. Once the liquid is fully absorbed, your rice will be completely cooked.
- Sprinkle freshly chopped parsley and serve hot. Enjoy!
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