Weeknight Shrimp Paella

Ingredients

• 1 cup short-grain (bomba or arborio) rice
• 12 oz Shrimp
• 1 Bell Pepper, sliced
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2½ cups stock, warmed
• Big pinch saffron
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• ½ cup peas, lemon wedges, parsley

Method

1. Bloom the saffron in the warm stock. Soften onion, garlic, and Bell Pepper in olive oil in a wide pan, then stir in paprika and rice to toast for a minute.
2. Pour in the saffron stock, season, and spread the rice flat. Now stop stirring — paella isn't risotto; stirring ruins the crust.
3. Nestle in the Shrimp and simmer 18–20 minutes until the liquid is absorbed. Listen for a gentle crackle: that's the socarrat, the prized crust, forming on the bottom.
4. Scatter peas, cut the heat, cover with a towel 5 minutes, and serve from the pan with lemon and parsley.