Every table at Boqueria eventually arrives at paella.
It might happen after the croquetas, or after a second round of wine, or when someone looks up from their plate and says — without quite planning to — let’s get the paella. It happens the same way every night. The wide pan lands in the center of the table. Phones come out. Someone picks up a spoon.
That’s the dish. Not just the rice, not just the seafood — the moment the pan arrives.
We’ve been making it since we opened on West 19th Street in 2006, long before anyone declared a “National Paella Day.” Ours is Catalan-style, which means sofrito and picada layered into the base for a depth that a simpler recipe can’t reach. Lobster stock instead of water or chicken broth. Bomba rice, which drinks up liquid while maintaining a bite. And at the end, the socarrat — the crackling, caramelized crust that forms on the bottom of the pan when you raise the heat and let the last of the liquid burn off.
Here’s how to make it at home.
A Note Before You Start
This recipe has three components that need to come together: the sofrito, the picada, and the lobster stock. None of them are difficult, but none of them are fast either. The sofrito needs three and a half hours. The lobster stock needs two. The picada starts the night before.
Make them ahead. Refrigerate or freeze in portions. Once you have them on hand, the paella itself takes less than thirty minutes. That’s the whole logic of the Catalan kitchen — the bases do the work so the final dish can move fast.
Paella de Mariscos
Seafood Paella — Serves 4
Ingredients
- 4 cups Lobster Stock
- 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more if needed
- 4 ounces monkfish or cod, cut into ½-inch slices
- 6 large shell-on, head-on shrimp, preferably red shrimp
- ¼ pound cuttlefish, cut into ½-inch dice
- 7 ounces squid bodies and tentacles, bodies cut into ½-inch rings
- 3 tablespoons Sofrito
- 3 tablespoons Picada
- 1½ cups bomba rice
- 12 mussels, beards removed, cleaned well (discard any that have already opened)
- 12 manila clams or cockles, scrubbed well (discard any that have already opened)
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
- Bring the lobster stock to a boil in a large saucepan, then reduce the heat to keep it warm until ready to use.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a 16-inch paella pan over high heat. Season the monkfish and shrimp with salt and pepper and lay them in the hot oil in a single layer. Sear until well browned, turning once, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
- Heat another 2 tablespoons of oil in the same pan. Add the cuttlefish and squid in a single layer, season with salt, and stir. Cook until nicely seared, browned, and popping, about 5 minutes. Add more oil if the pan goes dry.
- Add the sofrito and stir, then reduce the heat to low and stir in the picada. Add the hot lobster stock and raise the heat to high. Bring to a boil and season with salt. Sprinkle the rice evenly across the pan. Stir once to make sure it’s evenly distributed and submerged — then don’t touch it again. You’re not making risotto. The grains need to cook separately.
- Boil vigorously for 5 minutes, then reduce the heat to low and simmer until the rice is al dente, about 10 minutes.
- Tuck the mussels, clams, shrimp, and fish into the rice, spacing them evenly around the pan. Drizzle the remaining tablespoon of oil over the rice and raise the heat to high. Cook until the mussels and clams open, all the liquid evaporates, and the rice forms the socarrat crust on the bottom of the pan, about 5 minutes. Discard anything that hasn’t opened.
- Remove from the heat. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rest for 5 minutes. Serve directly from the pan.
The Bases
Make these ahead and keep them in the freezer. They’re the reason the paella tastes the way it does.
Sofrito
Makes about 1 cup — Prep 30 minutes — Total 3½ hours
The foundation of most Catalonian cooking. The longer it simmers, the richer it tastes. Some cooks leave it on the stove for a full day. Make a big batch and freeze it in portions.
Ingredients
- 1 pound ripe tomatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1 (8-ounce) white Spanish onion, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled and trimmed
- ½ cup blended canola-olive oil
Method
- Put the tomatoes, onion, and garlic into a blender or food processor in that order. Pulse until well mixed, then purée until almost smooth with a few small chunks remaining. Transfer to a large saucepan with the oil and stir well.
- Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thick and sweet — about 3 hours.
Picada
Makes about ⅓ cup — Prep 20 minutes — Total 20 minutes, plus overnight infusing
A mortar-and-pestle sauce that is the backbone of Catalan cooking. Herb, bread, and saffron ground into a paste that seasons the paella and thickens the stock as it cooks. The saffron gets sprinkled directly onto the hot fried bread — the heat releases the aroma immediately.
Ingredients
- 1 dried ñora pepper
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and trimmed
- ½ cup flat-leaf parsley leaves
- Blended canola-olive oil, for frying
- 2 (¾-inch-thick) slices baguette
- A good pinch of saffron threads
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt
Method
- Cover the ñora pepper with very hot water in a bowl. Let stand at room temperature overnight. Drain, discard the stem and seeds, and scrape out the flesh with a spoon. Discard the skin.
- Put the garlic and a large pinch of salt in a mortar or food processor. Pound or pulse until the garlic becomes a paste. Add the parsley and pepper flesh and pound or pulse until very finely ground.
- Fill a small skillet with canola-olive oil to a depth of ½ inch. Heat over medium-high until hot and shimmering. Fry the baguette slices, turning once, until golden brown and crisp on both sides. Transfer to the mortar and immediately sprinkle the saffron on top. Pound or pulse until smooth. Add the olive oil and stir or pulse until fully incorporated.
Lobster Stock
Makes about 10 cups — Prep 1 hour — Total 2 hours
The thing that separates this paella from every other version you’ve had. Lobster heads are available at most seafood counters — call ahead. If you can’t find them, substitute 2 pounds of large shell-on shrimp with heads. Make a batch and freeze it. You’ll find reasons to use it.
Ingredients
- 9 raw lobster heads (2 pounds)
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ cup cooking brandy
- 1 large leek, white and pale green parts only, cut into ½-inch slices
- 1 carrot, peeled and cut into ½-inch dice
- ½ onion, cut into ½-inch chunks
- 1 head garlic, cut in half through its equator
- 1 celery stalk, cut into ½-inch slices
- 2 tablespoons sweet pimentón (smoked paprika)
- 3 tomatoes, cored and cut into 1-inch chunks
- ½ cup dry white wine
Method
- Pull the top shells of the lobster heads off the bottoms. Cut the top shells into quarters and cut the bottoms in half lengthwise, then crosswise into thirds.
- Heat 5 tablespoons of oil in a large stockpot over high heat until smoking. Add the lobster pieces in a single layer. Cook, turning occasionally, until well caramelized — about 15 minutes. The shells should be bright red and the meat dark brown.
- Add the brandy. If you’re comfortable flambéing, light carefully with a long match. Otherwise, let the brandy boil until almost completely evaporated. Transfer the lobster pieces and all pan juices to a large bowl.
- Add the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil to the same pot over medium-high heat. Add the leek, carrot, onion, garlic, and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until well caramelized and browned, about 15 minutes.
- Stir in the pimentón, then immediately add the tomatoes before it burns. Cook until the tomatoes break down, about 3 minutes. Add the wine, bring to a boil, and simmer until reduced by half, about 1 minute. Add 4 quarts of cold water and return the lobster and its juices to the pot.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce to a steady simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat, cover, and let steep for 1 hour. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible.
- Refrigerate for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 6 months.
The stock and sofrito can be made well in advance and pulled from the freezer when you’re ready. The picada starts the night before. On the day itself, the paella takes thirty minutes.
That’s the whole system. Make it once and you’ll understand why we put it on every table.
