Seafood Quinoa Paella with Saffron

Quinoa replaces the rice in this paella-inspired skillet. Fish broth, smoked paprika, and saffron season the quinoa, while shrimp and squid make it a seafood main.

Choosing saffron for this recipe

If you need to buy saffron online, choose whole threads so you can measure the amount listed in the recipe.

Rinse the quinoa in a fine sieve, then drain it before adding it to the skillet. The fish broth and saffron echo Spanish seafood paella, but quinoa gives this version a different texture.

How to Make Seafood Quinoa Paella with Saffron

1. Pour 2 cups of fish broth into a saucepan which is over medium-high heat, and pinch in ½ teaspoon of high-quality saffron threads.
2. Put a non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat, pour in 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, after one minute season some sea salt.
3. Add in one tube of squid, which is cut into small squares. Mix them continuously for 1 minute. Remove the squids from the pan, and transfer them to a bowl.
4. Now let’s fry 3 cloves of garlic which are minced, and ½ an onion which is diced in the same pan. After 90 seconds, ½ teaspoon of sweet smoked Spanish paprika should be mixed with the fried onion and garlic.
5. Add ½ cup of canned tomato sauce, season adequate sea salt, and freshly cracked black pepper. Combine everything, then add squids back to the pan.
6. After one minute, sprinkle 1 cup of quinoa in the pan and mix with the mixture.
7. It’s time to grab the saucepan and pour the saffron-infused fish broth into the pan. Season some sea salt, and give everything a gentle mix.
8. After 12-15 minutes, add in 12 jumbo shrimps, which were patted down with some paper towels and seasoned with sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
9. Place a lid on the pan, lower the fire to low-medium heat
10. 1Remove the pan from the heat after 7 minutes. Use a fork to fluff up the quinoa, some lemon wedges and freshly chopped parsley are good choices for the garnish.

Prep the squid and shrimp before heating the pan so both can go in at the intended stage. If you want another seafood skillet built around something other than rice, try seafood fideuà with squid ink.