Spanish-Inspired Vegan Seafood Paella

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It’s been a minute but I’m back with another recipe using some amazing newish products from my pals at Nature’s Charm! The Marinated Banana Blossom is an awesome simple fish substitute and the Marinated Vegan Calamari is a calamari substitute made from king mushrooms, cut into little rings. Both are pre-marinated, meaning they’re ready to cook as-is or you can batter them for a fried seafood feast! Now, naturally my mind went straight to popular seafood dishes, so how could I go past the classic Spanish dish, paella!

Paella is said to have originated on the Spanish coast, where rice is grown, like Valencia. Named after the Catalan word for “pan”, it makes sense that you traditionally see paella served in the pan it was cooked in. Now, for this (definitely not authentic) version, you don’t need a special paella pan but you will need something wide and shallow with a lid.

While browsing the web for information about paella and various recipes, seafood appears to be the most popular, however it doesn’t seem like that was always the case. Like many classic national dishes, there are also many different takes on the recipes, with cooks adding their own spin. You also need a few key ingredients and pieces of info before you dive in and cook:

• • You need sofrito, which is kinda like the concept French mirepoix. It’s simply finely chopped onion, garlic and red capsicum or tomato. This is the classic base to kick off your paella.
  • You need saffron, which can be a little pricey but a little will go a long way and last you ages.
  • You need to use a short-grain rice. Bomba rice is preferable but it’s pretty hard to find, so just find something short and round-ish.
  • You want to aim for socarrat, the crispy layer of rice at the bottom of the pan that is undoubtedly one of the tastiest parts of the dish!

Ingredients

• • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 can Nature’s Charm Marinated Banana Blossom, drained
  • 1 can Nature’s Charm Vegan Calamari, drained
  • 4 1/4 cups vegan chicken stock (vegetable will do)
  • 3-4 strands of saffron
  • 1 small brown onion, finely diced
  • 1 red capsicum, finely diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely diced
  • 2 vegan sausages, chopped (get something chorizo-like if you can!)
  • 1-2 teaspoons salt
  • 2 teaspoons paprika
  • 1 can crushed tomatoes
  • Lemon wedges and fresh parsley to serve

Method

1. 1. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in the paella pan (or whatever you’re using) and over high heat, cook the Nature’s Charm Marinated Banana Blossom and Vegan Calamari until golden. Allow to drain on paper towel and set aside.
   2. In a medium-sized saucepan, add your stock and saffron and bring to the boil.
   3. Add the remaining olive oil to the paella pan and chuck in your onion, cooking until translucent before adding the capsicum, garlic and vegan sausage.
   4. Next, chuck in the paprika and salt, mixing through before adding the rice, stirring well to ensure it has been well coated in the oils from the pan.
   5. After a minute or so, add the tinned tomatoes and stock, gently spreading out the rice so it is even across the bottom of the pan. Bring to a gentle simmer before adding the lid and cooking for 10-18 minutes, or until most of the liquid has been absorbed by the rice.
   6. Remove the lid and place the Nature’s Charm Marinated Banana Blossom and Vegan Calamari on top. Replace the lid and kick up the heat to medium-high for a remaining 5-10 minutes. You should hear some crackling after a while, which is your socarrat coming to life! Keep a close eye on it, gently lifting the rice off the side, so you can make sure it doesn’t burn.
   7. Once you’re satisfied that your paella is cooked, it’s showtime! Add wedges of lemon, a healthy dose of fresh parsley and serve immediately.