Paella Valenciana

This paella is the signature dish at Bar Lourinhã. Fresh seafood is what it's all about. Rabbit is also a traditional component - it's quite a sweet meat, making it a great match for salty seafood. I prefer the flavour of the leg meat; if you're lucky enough to get hold of a whole rabbit, add in the livers and kidneys. I use cuttlefish rather than calamari as it's slightly thicker, which lends itself to the longer cooking time. What's not traditional about this paella is that the rice goes in first (before the stock) - I find it helps with absorption and you get a nice nuttiness that comes through. 

When the time comes to adding the seafood, layer it so that the things with a longer cooking time are at the bottom and those at the top will cook with residual heat and steam. It looks like a lot of seafood in the pan, but don't pare back because as it cooks and releases its juices, it contributes to building the flavour of the paella.

The trick to the soccarat is timing and having your stock to rice ratio correct so that there is enough stock left in the pan to caramelise the base. It's also important to manage the heat correctly - crank it up to full when the time comes. 

It's important to have all your ingredients prepped and ready to go into the pan.