Eat Like a Local in Spain with The Foodworks Cookery School

Located in the heart of the Cotswolds, Foodworks Cookery School is a high-end school running both day and evening courses. The building it’s housed in is worth visiting for alone – think large windows, herb gardens and a barbeque area ripe for lazy and indulgent summer evenings. With a Spanish twist on these scenes in mind, the school picked seafood paella as one of its favourite dishes from the country.

Tucking into at least one seafood paella is essential for anyone visiting Spain. This one is made up of squid, prawns, clams and mussels, amongst a bunch of other ingredients. Depending on which part of Spain you visit, you’ll encounter plenty of markets perfect for picking up fresh seafood which you can make into a delightful paella of your own.

Seafood paella – ingredients

300g prepared medium-sized squid, cut into 3cm pieces
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
100g onion shallots, finely chopped
1 red pepper, seeded and chopped into 1cm pieces
1 green pepper, seeded and chopped into 1cm pieces
1 teaspoon pimentón picante (smoked hot Spanish paprika)
200g large raw peeled prawns
300g small clams, such as carpet shell, washed
400g short-grain paella rice, such as Calasparra
1 heaped teaspoon loosely packed saffron strands
1 litre fish stock
150g large mussels, cleaned
6–8 unpeeled cooked crevettes
Salt

Method

1. Dry the squid well on kitchen paper, season with salt and set to one side. Place a 40–50cm paella pan over 2 burners on a medium heat. Add the oil and garlic. As soon as the garlic begins to sizzle, add the shallot and fry for five minutes until soft and sweet, turning the pan every few minutes so everything cooks evenly. Do this throughout the cooking process.
2. Add the red and green peppers with the pimentón and fry for 5 minutes until the peppers are just softened. Stir in the squid and fry for 3–4 minutes until it becomes white and opaque.
3. Scatter the prawns and clams around the pan, add the rice and saffron and stir everything together well. Add the stock and two and a half teaspoons of salt and bring to the boil, stirring briefly to redistribute the ingredients around the pan.
4. Leave to simmer for 6 minutes over a medium-to-high heat. Don’t stir anymore, but remember to give the pan a turn every 2 minutes. Reduce the heat.
5. Arrange the mussels and crevettes evenly around the pan and push them down slightly into the rice. Leave to cook for a further 14 minutes, again without stirring. At this time, all the liquid will have been absorbed and the surface of the rice should be pitted with small holes.
6. Turn off the heat, cover the pan with a clean tea towel and leave to rest for five minutes before serving. Serve warm straight from the pan.

Visit The Foodworks Cookery School’s website for more foodie inspiration, or look at our rentals in Spain and take the first steps to planning your next holiday.