{"id":54309,"date":"2018-02-03T21:53:01","date_gmt":"2018-02-03T20:53:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gogoespana.com\/?p=54309"},"modified":"2025-05-22T09:40:13","modified_gmt":"2025-05-22T08:40:13","slug":"how-to-cook-paella-authentic-spanish-way","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gogoespana.com\/en\/blog\/how-to-cook-paella-authentic-spanish-way\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Cook a Paella the Authentic Spanish Way"},"content":{"rendered":"

When you think of Spanish food, what do you think of? Chances are paella is high on your list! This delicious rice dish comes from the Valencia<\/a> area. Today, it\u2019s a firm favorite for visitors and locals alike to the country. We\u2019re going to teach you how to cook a paella<\/strong> the traditional way.<\/p>\n

You should definitely try a paella<\/strong> while you\u2019re in Spain (it\u2019s one of our picks for the best Spanish food<\/a>, after all!). But even better than just trying one while you\u2019re here is learning the recipe yourself. That way, you can take it home with you to impress your friends and family anytime you like. What could be a better souvenir than that?<\/p>\n

Are you ready to get started? Let\u2019s learn how to cook a paella the authentic way.<\/p>\n

\"how-to-cook-a-paella\"<\/p>\n

How to cook a paella: Getting started<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The first thing you\u2019ll need to do is round up a big group of people to feed! One of the reasons paella is such a great food is that it\u2019s perfect for sharing. So, find someone to share this delicious meal<\/strong> with.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll also ideally need a paella pan, which is a shallow, flat pan. If you don\u2019t have one, you can make do with a large skillet.<\/p>\n

Now, it\u2019s time to decide what kind of paella you want to make. The traditional Valencian paella<\/strong> includes chicken, rabbit, and snails. There are also other versions, including seafood paella, mixed paella (with both fish and meat), and even vegetarian paella.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re going to choose the traditional Valencian paella.<\/p>\n

How to cook a paella: The ingredients<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Are you ready to go shopping? Here\u2019s everything you\u2019ll need for a paella for about 4 people:<\/p>\n

Rabbit – 500 grams\/17.6 ounces
\nChicken – 500 grams\/17.6 ounces
\nTomato – 1, make sure it\u2019s ripe
\nGreen beans – 200 grams\/7 ounces
\nLima beans – 200 grams\/7 ounces
\nBomba rice – 500 grams\/17.6 ounces
\nChicken stock – 1.5 liters\/6 cups
\nPaprika – 5 grams\/1 teaspoon
\nRosemary – 1 sprig fresh
\nSaffron – 1 gram\/0.2 teaspoon
\nSalt
\nOlive oil
\nOptional: Snails (about 10, and they should already be boiled)<\/p>\n

\"how-to-cook-a-paella\"<\/p>\n

How to cook a paella: The method<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Heat the olive oil in a paella and add salt. While it\u2019s warming up, season your meat.<\/p>\n

Saut\u00e9 the meat on medium heat for about 20 minutes.<\/p>\n

Add in your vegetables and cook them for about 5 minutes or until they\u2019re soft. Then, add the paprika.<\/p>\n

Add the water, saffron, and rosemary. If you\u2019re using snails, add them too. Bring to a boil. Cook until the liquid has reduced by half.<\/p>\n

Keep an eye on the rosemary – once it starts to fall apart, you\u2019ll want to remove it.<\/p>\n

Add in the rice. Turn down the heat and simmer until you can\u2019t see the liquid. Taste as you go.<\/p>\n

When your rice is cooked, take it off the heat, cover it with a towel, and let it stand for 5 minutes. Then, tuck in! Traditionally, paella is eaten straight from the pan.<\/p>\n

Once you\u2019ve gotten the hang of this paella, you can also try making other variations, like seafood and mixed paellas<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Tips for how to cook a paella<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Traditionally, paella is never stirred! This means the rice sticks to the pan and creates a lovely crispy layer called \u201csocarrat\u201d.<\/p>\n

Paella is eaten at lunchtime, and often with a wooden spoon.<\/p>\n

You can also use senia rice.<\/p>\n

To get a delicious smoky flavor, you can cook the paella<\/strong> over a wood fire.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re a garlic lover, try making fideu\u00e0, a similar dish made with short, thin noodles instead of rice and served with garlicky aioli sauce.<\/p>\n

You can serve lemon wedges with paella, but only add the lemon after tasting the dish first!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When you think of Spanish food, what do you think of? Chances are paella is high on your list! This delicious rice dish comes from the Valencia area. Today, it\u2019s a firm favorite for visitors and locals alike to the country. We\u2019re going to teach you how to cook a paella the traditional way. You […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":124,"featured_media":54323,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2067,2052],"tags":[1630,1637,1668],"class_list":["post-54309","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-comida-espanola","category-spanish-food","tag-spanish-culture","tag-spanish-food","tag-spanish-recipes"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gogoespana.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54309","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gogoespana.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gogoespana.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gogoespana.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/124"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gogoespana.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=54309"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/gogoespana.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54309\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":66585,"href":"https:\/\/gogoespana.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54309\/revisions\/66585"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gogoespana.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/54323"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gogoespana.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54309"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gogoespana.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54309"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gogoespana.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54309"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}