This saffron-infused seafood paella with shrimp and lobster is a simpler take on the beloved Spanish dish with fewer ingredients and no special pan. It will deliver the WOW factor on all levels, but you don’t need to wait for a special occasion to make it!
The Easiest Seafood Paella
This paella recipe is for seafood lovers only! I wanted to adapt what I learned about paella during my travels to make a simplified seafood paella at home using what is available in most North American kitchens. No paella pan required!
If you’re looking for a robust paella recipe that combines both chicken and seafood, I recommend taking a look at my Spanish Paella Mixta, which I learned how to make while taking cooking classes and traveling in Spain.
As my Spanish culinary instructor shared, there are as many versions of paella as people making it. And I’ll say right off the bat, this seafood paella recipe is my own pared-down version, prepared as an easy weeknight solution that does not require an open flame or a special pan. To create a Spanish feast, serve this with a variety of tapas or small plates.
Ingredients Needed to Make Seafood Paella
Historically, in Valencia, Spain, where Paella originated, this dish would have chicken thighs, rabbit, snails, and green beans. Paella is the mother of leftover solutions and one-pot meals, and the ingredients will vary from place to place, depending on the traditions and what ingredients are available. Nowadays, particularly in the States, paella is almost always associated with seafood.
- Rice. Rice is the single most essential ingredient that makes this dish so comforting and satisfying! The traditional rice to use is Bomba rice, and you can find it in most grocery stores or online.
- Saffron is an essential paella ingredient. Its distinct flavor is floral and slightly earthy. It’s expensive, but a little goes a long way! To learn more about this impressive spice (that comes from a flower) read our guide, “What is Saffron?”
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: In keeping with the theme, I used peppery Spanish Hojiblanca Extra Virgin Olive Oil, but any high-quality extra virgin olive oil will do.
- Seafood: I used shrimp and lobster. If either is not available to you, feel free to get creative using a firm fish, mussels, or clams.
- Aromatics: I used yellow onion, but a white onion would work too, and four cloves of garlic.
- Seasonings: In addition to saffron, I used kosher salt, sweet Spanish paprika, cayenne pepper, and chili powder (I used Aleppo pepper, which has a mild fruity heat.)
- Green beans are traditional in Paella; they add a freshness and nice pop of color.
- Tomatoes: I opted for Roma tomatoes because they are meaty and don’t add a ton of liquid, but you can use any tomato you have on hand. Finally, I added parsley to finish the dish off at the end.
How to Make Paella
- Cook the lobster tails. In a large pot set over high heat, bring 3 cups of water to a rolling boil. Add the lobster tails, and cook for 1-2 minutes until they turn pink. Turn off the heat and use a pair of tongs to remove the lobster tails from the water. Do not discard the cooking water. When the lobster is cool enough to handle, remove the shell and cut into large pieces.
- Start the paella. In a large deep pan or cast-iron skillet set over medium-high heat, add 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Once the oil begins to shimmer, add the chopped onions. Sauté the onions for 2 minutes, then add the rice, and cook for 3 more minutes, stirring regularly. Now add the chopped garlic and the lobster cooking water. Stir in the saffron and its soaking liquid, paprika, cayenne pepper, Aleppo pepper, and salt.
- Add the vegetables. Stir in the chopped tomatoes and green beans. Bring to a boil, reduce the liquid a little bit, then cover with a lid or tightly with foil and cook on low heat for 20 minutes.
- Finish the paella. Uncover the rice and gently push the shrimp into the rice. Add a little water if needed. Cover and cook for another 10 minutes or until the shrimp turn pink. Finally, add the cooked lobster chunks. When the lobster is warmed through, turn the heat off. Garnish with parsley.
- Enjoy! Serve the paella hot with your favorite Spanish tapas!
Tips for Making Seafood Paella
- Bomba rice is the short-grain rice used in Paella. The grains soak up liquid and plump up without disintegrating or getting sticky. If you have a difficult time finding Bomba rice, you can use Arborio rice, but it will be creamier than intended.
- If you have a paella pan or even a special outdoor paella grill, that would be ideal. If you’re new to making paella, and you don’t want to invest in a paella pan just yet, using a carbon steel pan or a cast iron skillet, which is what I used when testing this recipe, is a great place to start. The important thing is that the skillet you use has a large, even surface, which aids in cooking the rice properly and quickly.
- A wok, which has a curved base, is not a good replacement for a paella pan; you’re better off using a flat-bottomed skillet.
Variations
- Add Chorizo. Dried Spanish chorizo, which is not the same as Mexican chorizo, makes a good addition, and you can add it early on in the recipe to get the most flavor. Slice chorizo into thin half-moons and, once you’ve sautéed the onions, add the chorizo and give it a quick cook until it crisps a little, then continue with the recipe as written.
- Add shellfish such as clams or mussels. Nestle well-cleaned clams or mussels into the rice at the same time you add the shrimp. Make sure the hinge sides are up so they release juices into the rice. Cover and cook until clams and mussels are open, about 6 to 10 minutes. For more tips on how to buy, store, and clean mussels, be sure to check out my Steamed Mussels recipe.
- Add fish. I’ve been asked if adding fish fillets is an option. If you’re going for a thinner fish like sole fillet, you can cut it up into pieces and add it at the same time you add the shrimp. Make sure you give the fish a little seasoning. Again, you’ll cover and cook for a few minutes until the shrimp turns pink and your fish is nice and flaky.
- Not a seafood fan? Make Chicken Paella; not all paella needs seafood!
What to Serve with Seafood Paella
Paella is a communal recipe, so in my house, the more the merrier! After all, sharing food with our community, friends, and family is the Mediterranean way!
To create a Spanish feast, serve Paella with an assortment of tapas and drinks, then, of course, you must finish with Spanish dessert. Here are some of my favorites:
- Assortment of Spanish Tapas: Stick with the seafood theme and serve boquerones (marinated anchovies) or offer a couple of vegetarian tapas like patatas bravas and pan con tomate.
- Spanish Drinks like Tinto de Verano are so refreshing when the sun is shining, or the more familiar red or White Sangria are always wonderful pitcher drinks to serve when friends are over.
- Dessert: If anyone has room for dessert, I recommend serving Crema Catalana, Spain’s lighter orange and cinnamon-scented version of crème brûlée.
Hungry for More? Try These Popular Spanish Recipes!
Meat and Poultry
Chicken Paella
Appetizer and Mezze
Spanish Tortilla Recipe (Tortilla de Patatas)
Fish and Seafood
Spanish Paella with Chicken and Seafood
Easy saffron-infused seafood paella recipe with lobster and shrimp! No need for a special paella pan, a large sturdy skillet, like cast iron, will work well.
Ingredients
- 4 small lobster tails, 4 to 6 oz each
- water
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, I used Spanish hojiblanca
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 2 cups Spanish Bomba rice, soaked in water for 20 minutes and then drained
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped
- 2 large pinches of Spanish saffron threads soaked in 1/2 cup water
- 1 teaspoon sweet Spanish paprika
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon chili pepper flakes, I used Aleppo pepper
- kosher salt
- 2 large Roma tomatoes, finely chopped
- 6 ounces green beans, trimmed
- 1 pound prawns or large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Cook the lobster tails. In a large pot set over high heat, bring 3 cups of water to a rolling boil. Add the lobster tails, and cook for 1-2 minutes until they turn pink. Turn off the heat and use a pair of tongs to remove the lobster tails from the water. Do not discard the cooking water. When the lobster is cool enough to handle, remove the shell and cut into large pieces.
- Start the paella. In a large deep pan or cast-iron skillet set over medium-high heat, add 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Once the oil begins to shimmer, add the chopped onions. Sauté the onions for 2 minutes, then add the rice, and cook for 3 more minutes, stirring regularly. Now add the chopped garlic and the lobster cooking water. Stir in the saffron and its soaking liquid, paprika, cayenne pepper, Aleppo pepper, and salt.
- Add the vegetables. Stir in the chopped tomatoes and green beans. Bring to a boil, reduce the liquid a little bit, then cover with a lid or tightly with foil and cook on low heat for 20 minutes.
- Finish the paella. Uncover the rice and gently push the shrimp into the rice. Add a little water if needed. Cover and cook for another 10 minutes or until the shrimp turn pink. Finally, add the cooked lobster chunks. When the lobster is warmed through, turn heat off. Garnish with parsley.
- Enjoy! Serve the paella hot with your favorite Spanish tapas!
Video
Notes
- Pro-Tip: Depending on the kind of rice you use, you may or not need to soak it in water before cooking. I have found that soaking rice in water for 15 minutes or so (until you are able to easily break a grain of rice between your thumb and index finger) helps speed the cooking process. When you do this, you naturally use less cooking water. The rice cooks evenly and more quickly.
- Pro-Tip: In some paella recipes, you are almost “forbidden” from stirring the rice early in the cooking process. But it worked best for me this way. Grateful to Bobby Flay for this tip.
- To add Chorizo: dried Spanish chorizo makes a good addition. Slice it into thin half-moons, and add the chorizo once you’ve sautéed the onion. Give it a quick cook until it crisps a little, then continue with the recipe.
- To add shellfish such as clams or mussels: Nestle well-cleaned clams or mussels into the rice when you add the shrimp. Make sure the hinge sides are up so they release juices into the rice. Cover and cook until clams and mussels are open and the shrimp turn pink.
- To add fish: I’ve been asked if adding fish fillets is an option. If you’re going for a thinner white fish like sole fillet, you can cut it up into pieces and add it at the same time you add the shrimp. Make sure you give the fish a little seasoning. Again, you’ll cover and cook for a few minutes until the shrimp turns pink and your fish is nice and flaky.
- Shop this recipe: Visit our shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients, including the olive oil and spices used in this recipe.
Nutrition
Calories: 467.2kcalCarbohydrates: 68.2gProtein: 28.5gFat: 8.4gSaturated Fat: 1.3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1.2gMonounsaturated Fat: 5.4gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 175.3mgSodium: 277.6mgPotassium: 519.2mgFiber: 3.9gSugar: 2.4gVitamin A: 933IUVitamin C: 11.9mgCalcium: 111.9mgIron: 4.6mg
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*This post originally appeared on The Mediterranean Dish in 2015, and it has recently been updated with new information and media for readers’ benefit.
I tried your recipe, excellent choice. I lived in Spain for a number of years and I had perfected what is perhaps the best Andalusian paella anyone would want to eat, according to my friends who were not handy in the kitchen. Your recipe was simple, and one can add or substitute other seafood as well. I added mussels, yummy. Keep up the great work, love your web site.
Ernie, welcome to The Mediterranean Dish! Thank you so much for stopping in and for sharing your thoughts. It means a lot to hear from someone who is super familiar with Paella! Mussels is a great addition, of course! Thank you also for your kind words about the blog; I hope you to see you here often! Cheers!
Suzy, what a gorgeous paella!! It’s been far too long since I last had paella. I’ll have to try your recipe next time I make it!
Oh and by the way, I love your blog! So happy I discovered it on The Orgasmic Chef!
Hi Mary; Nice to meet you! Thank you for stopping in. I am so grateful to Maureen for introducing us. Hope you come back!
I love paella and this looks incredibly delicious! What a great recipe 🙂
Dana, thank you for stopping by! Paella is a great dish for sure. Thanks for your kind comment.
It’s been too long since I have had paella. This looks phenomenal! Thanks for sharing your great recipe. Pinning.
Hi Thao! Thanks for stopping in to see me. Appreciate your comment. Hope we stay in touch.
Love, love a paella dish. What is great about paella it can be made with a million different ingredients and with afew steps it will always be delicious. Thanks for sharing!
Velva
P.S. Great post on Maureen’s blog. I came over to visit you. I will be back.
Thank you Velva! I am grateful to Maureen for introducing us. Hope we remain in touch.
Hi Suzy… followed you here from Maureen’s! Love paella and yours looks absolutely yum. Please pass me a fork!
Hey Lizzy! Nice to meet you! Thanks so much for stopping in and taking the time to comment. Hope we stay in touch!
Hi Suzy! I’m here from Orgasmic Chef. I LOVE the food you share!! Totally my type! I adore Paella – I even have a giant paella pan that I use to make giant paellas on my BBQ. It’s so great for feeding alot of people!!
Maureen is totally fab and I get why you connected with her 🙂 We “hang out” on a food bloggers Facebook group, if you would like to join? It’s called Food Bloggers Central – I won’t drop a link here in case you have a spam plugin that thinks this message is dodgy!
Glad to have discovered you 🙂
Nagi, hi! I have totally visited your blog and love your work. Thank you so much for stopping by and for your encouraging comments! YES, I would love to be a part of Blogger Central!!! I’ll try and find it ASAP! Thank u!
I’m spanish, even if I lived in France since 15 years. In my home la paella is my husband and my father who cooks ! Yours is really nice !! I will love a little bit right now!!
Eva, thanks so much for stopping in and sharing this kind comment! Wow, to have been born in Spain and live in France, you must have a discerning palate for great food! Hope we keep in touch!
Seafood Paella is by far my favorite dish of all time. My second favorite is Seafood Fra Diavlo. So I saw your recipe and was inspired to make the dish for the first time. I definitely kicked up the heat, doubled the garlic, pepper and salt. It came out amazing and I wish you guys were here to help me it it cuase my family is having something else for this New Year’s dinner. Wife is eating shrimp in green sauce, no heat there. And the Kids are eating pancakes and strawberries – Hop you have a great 2016!
Isaac, Happy New Year! I am so glad you made this paella. I’ll bet I would have enjoyed your version; I love a little more heat in my food too 🙂 Have an awesome 2016! And I’d love to hear what more you’ll be cooking!
Hi, my husband and I love to cook together. Would you share your recipe for your Seafood Fra Diavlo ? We would love to try it .
Thanks so much, Karrol & Ron from Maryland .
Cooking together is such fun, Karrol! I don’t have a Seafood Fra Diavlo recipe yet,but I sure will some day. Thanks for the idea!
Wow! I have definitely never made paella, which is strange since I absolutely love the stuff! Definitely pinning for later! Thanks for sharing, Suzy!
Hi Justine! Thanks for stopping in, friend. Glad you like my paella. Hope you get to make some soon! So good!
What a fantastic looking dish! I love paella whenever we’re on holiday in the mediterranean but it’s not something I’ve ever cooked at home. Your pictures are inspiring me to put that right though!
Sarah, thank you for stopping in to see me! Let me know if you try it soon.
What a gorgeous paella. There are so many versions to make and one can never go wrong. I think it’s the perfect one dish wonder!
Thank you for stopping in, Abbe! You are right, it is one dish you can make your own. Whatever the variation, paella does not disappoint. I’ll be making it again for sure.
I just made a seafood paella for Easter. I use short grain risotto rice and use different seafood as it is available. This one looks really delicious and oh boy, it feeds an army for sure !
Hi Ciao! Thank you for stopping in to see me. I totally agree that paella feeds an army, we ate it two days in a row. I kept mine so simple this time, but I know there will come a time when I’ll make a crazier version 🙂 Please keep in touch.
I found your site through your gorgeous post at Maureen’s blog, and it is beautiful! What a wonderful and savory dish. 🙂
Krista, welcome to my humble corner! I am glad we got connected. Hope we stay in touch!
Your paella looks magnificent! It’s been years since I’ve made it, and that must be remedied!!! I love your easier version—I use Julia Child’s recipe which my mom used to make for us—but it takes a long time. No need to wait any longer to have this classic Spanish dish at home!
Liz, thanks so much for taking the time to visit me! I can only imagine Julia Child’s paella!!! YUM! I did keep it quite simple this time, but my wheels are turning with more ideas. Who knows what I’ll throw in next time. It’s fun to play with recipes, isn’t it? I am so glad you like my version. Hope we stay in touch!
Hi Suzy
Apologies for taking so long to comment. I’ve been back and forward across the pond three times in 12days. My body clock is mid Atlantic.
I did my flying training in Spain and every Friday was Aella day. Two things that stay with me are make the best chicken/fish stock you can and as you did. Don’t touch it, you should gave some sticky burnt rice on the bottom creating chefs crust. I wish I could get some good lobsters to put in it!
Just going to watch your video now.
Dave.
David, I was starting to worry that you haven’t stopped by in a while! I wondered if you no longer liked my food ha ha! Just kidding. I know, life gets busy. And wow, you sound like you’ve been traveling quite a bit! You are absolutely right on with making a good stock, and the chef’s crust…o that is good stuff! Glad to see you back here 🙂
I’m never far away from your glorious Mediterranean cuisine, Suzy. I’ve got a cracking ras-el-hanout and harissa slow roast lamb dish coming up. Right up your street!
Video is excellent, you’re a natural. When do you get your own show?
Dave.
Look forward to your lamb stew! Just posted one on a friend’s site; will be sharing the link tomorrow! Thanks for your kind note re the video. My own show? Well, do you know someone who knows someone who wants to discover my talent for foodnetwork? haha.
Dear Suzy, This looks like a delicious and flavorful dish. xo, Catherine