Grilled Paella

This has to be one of my favorites dishes to serve to guests. It has a lot of steps, but all the time is in the prep work, and you can do it before you plan on cooking and before the guests arrive. That way when its time to cook, all you have to do is carry all your prepped ingredients in their bowls out to the grill and its just a matter of throwing the ingredients in the pan in the order listed below. Really the cooking part is a breeze. Then when you put this beautiful dish in the middle of the table you will get lots of oohs and ahhhs and when its over, yums!

I would highly recommend buying a paella pan. It is a must for this dish, plus its great for cooking pretty much anything on the grill.

This is a food & wine dish FROM EASY GRILLING WITH PETE EVANS,
PUBLISHED JUNE 2011

3 cups fish stock or low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 pound large shrimp, shelled and deveined, shells reserved
Pinch of saffron threads, crumbled
1/2 lemon
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
6 ounces fresh chorizo (2 small links), sliced 1/2 inch thick
2 ripe tomatoes, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 1/2 cups Calasparra or arborio rice (about 10 ounces)
1/2 pound cleaned squid—bodies halved lengthwise, scored in a crosshatch pattern and cut into 2-inch pieces
1 pound mussels, scrubbed
1/2 pound jumbo lump crab
1 cup roasted red peppers (5 ounces), cut into strips
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Hot sauce and lemon wedges, for serving

In a medium saucepan, combine the stock with the shrimp shells and saffron. Squeeze in the lemon, add the half of the lemon into the saucepan and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat and let stand for 10 minutes. Strain the broth and discard the solids.
Meanwhile, light a grill. Place a large flameproof skillet or paella pan on the grill and heat the olive oil in it. Add the chorizo, cover the skillet and close the grill. Cook over high heat until the chorizo is sizzling and lightly browned, about 5 minutes.

Add the tomatoes, garlic and smoked paprika, cover the skillet, close the grill and cook, stirring once or twice, until the tomatoes are softened, about 5 minutes.

Add the rice and stir to coat with the tomato mixture. Stir in the shrimp broth.

Cover the skillet, close the grill and cook until half of the broth has been absorbed, about 10 minutes.

Stir in the shrimp, squid and cockles. Cover the skillet, close the grill and cook until the rice is al dente and has formed a crust on the bottom and side of the skillet and the seafood is cooked, about 8 minutes.