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Ingredients

  • 18-24 raw, shell-on king prawns (about 3-4 per person, depending on size)
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 small onion or banana shallot, finely chopped
  • 1 fresh bay leaf
  • good pinch of saffron
  • 450g paella rice
  • 2 tsp tomato purée
  • 200ml white wine
  • 680ml seafood stock (see tip)
  • 3 medium squid (about 600g), cleaned and sliced

Method

  • STEP 1

    Peel and devein most of the prawns (a fishmonger should be able to do this for you), keeping a few whole for decoration, if you like. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan or shallow flameproof casserole over a medium-low heat and fry the onion for 5 mins until softened. Add the bay leaf, saffron, rice and tomato purée, and cook for 1-2 mins more, stirring.

  • STEP 2

    Pour in the wine and bubble for 1-2 mins, then pour in the seafood stock and 150ml water. Cook for 5 mins, then add the squid, season well and stir to combine. Bring to the boil, then cover and reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Cook for 12 mins more, adding a little more water if the mixture starts to look dry.

  • STEP 3

    Uncover the pan and stir through the peeled prawns, then arrange any whole prawns on top of the rice mixture. Cover again and simmer for a further 5-6 mins until the prawns are pink and cooked through. Leave to stand for a couple of minutes before serving from the pan.

Recipe tip

Make your own seafood stock: I’ve used my Epicure José Pizarro seafood stock in this recipe, which creates rich flavour. But, if you want to use the prawn shells, you can easily make your own seafood stock. Fry finely chopped onion, carrot and celery in olive oil, then add the prawn shells and fry for a few minutes more. Pour in 600ml water and simmer for 10 mins, pressing on the shells to extract more flavour. Strain the stock, pressing out as much liquid from the shells as you can, then season.

Goes well with

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