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Recipe Detail Page
Cauldron Paella
Autumn 2025
This traditional Spanish dish gets a Halloween makeover and cooks up beautifully with black or purple rice, black-shelled mussels and whole head-on shrimp, which offer more flavour than the peeled ones—although feel free to use those instead. Sofrito is a sauce preparation common in Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and Latin American cooking.
Makes 8 to 12 servings
BLACK RICE
2 cups (500 mL) black or purple rice
1 carton (900 mL) vegetable or chicken broth
Generous pinch of salt
SOFRITO
1 cup (250 mL) chopped chorizo, about 1/4 lb/115 g (optional)
1 tbsp (15 mL) olive oil
1 Spanish white onion, finely diced
1 small garlic clove, thinly sliced
1 bay leaf (optional)
1 generous pinch salt
2 red or orange peppers, finely diced
1 tsp (5 mL) smoked paprika
4 canned plum tomatoes, drained and chopped
SEAFOOD MIXTURE
1 lb (455 g) large, whole head-on shrimp or shelled and deveined shrimp (see TIP)
2 to 3 generous pinches kosher salt and pepper
2 tbsp (30 mL) olive oil, divided
1/4 lb (115 g) squid, cleaned and sliced into rings (optional)
1/2 cup (125 mL) dry white wine
1 to 2 lbs (455 to 905 g) fresh mussels, scrubbed with beards removed (see TIP)
1. For black rice, cook following package directions, using broth instead of water. Or if cooking in a pressure cooker, soak black rice in water for 1 hour, then fine-strain. Add rice, broth and salt to pressure cooker. Stir to mix. Cook on high pressure for 30 minutes. Let pressure release naturally for 5 to 10 minutes. Carefully vent to release any remaining steam, then remove lid. Fluff rice with a fork. Cover and let stand until ready to use.
2. Prepare sofrito by placing chorizo in a large paella pan or very large frying pan over medium-low heat. Cook until lightly golden and fat starts to render, about 5 minutes. Add olive oil. When hot, stir in onion, garlic, bay leaf and salt. Cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes, until onion is soft and translucent. Add peppers and paprika. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes until softened slightly. Add tomato and cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 more minutes until mixture has thickened. Scoop 1 cup (250 mL) sofrito mixture into a large pot and set aside.
3. Season shrimp with salt and pepper. Push sofrito to the outside of the paella or frying pan. Increase heat to medium. Heat 1 tbsp (15 mL) oil in centre of paella pan. When oil is shimmering, add shrimp. Cook just until shrimp is bright pink and curled, 1 to 4 minutes per side. Remove pan from heat. Remove shrimp to a plate. Set pan back over heat. Add remaining 1 tbsp (15 mL) oil. When hot, cook squid until seared, 30 seconds to 1 minute per side. Remove to a plate with shrimp. Remove pan from heat. Add cooked and fluffed rice to sofrito in pan. Stir to mix.
4. Add wine to large pot that was set aside with 1 cup (250 mL) sofrito in it. Heat over medium-high until simmering. Add unopened cleaned mussels. Cover and cook until mussels open, 1 to 3 minutes.
5. Tip mussels over paella, pouring liquid evenly over surface. Be sure to discard any broken shells or mussels that are not open. Topple shrimp and squid over paella. Serve immediately.
Makes 8 to 12 servings
TIP Devein shrimp using kitchen shears to cut out the back of the shrimp from its tail to its head and remove and wipe out the vein. Scrub mussels clean, removing and discarding beards. Discard any mussels that are open and don’t close when given a firm tap.
