The Story: This Valencia-style paella carries the spirit of Chef Daniel, whose teachings still echo in my hands each time I prepare it. I remember the first time I cooked it how every movement invited intention, how each step felt like placing a brushstroke on a canvas. Nothing could be rushed. The sofrito whispered its sweetness slowly, the saffron bloomed like sunlight in warm water, and the seafood settled into the rice as if it were returning home. It was, in every sense, an act of love. When I made this paella for my family over the holidays, it felt as though I was offering them a gift woven from beauty itself. The colors were vibrant and alive the gold of the rice, the deep greens, the ruby shine of the peppers, the shimmering shells of the mussels and clams. The dish felt almost ceremonial, as though it carried its own heartbeat. To finish, I drizzled a chili crunch oil made with Spanish olive oil and two generous spoonfuls of chili crunch. The floral heat of the chiles rose like perfume, adding a final layer of warmth that kissed the seafood and brightened every bite. In that moment, the paella became more than food it became gratitude, memory, and devotion, all simmering together in one pan. A work of art gifted to the people WE love most.
Seafood & Vegetable Paella: Serves 6
Featuring oysters, mussels, clams, saffron, bomba rice & Flavor Bombe chili crunch
Ingredients
Seafood
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6 oysters, shucked (keep liquor if possible)
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8 mussels, cleaned & debearded
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8 clams, cleaned
Vegetables & Aromatics
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1 large onion, finely diced
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6 cloves garlic, minced
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1 medium zucchini, small dice
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1 medium yellow squash, small dice
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1 red bell pepper, small dice
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½ cup piquillo peppers, sliced (garnish)
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½ cup Spanish green olives, sliced
Paella Base
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2 ½ cups bomba rice
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1 large pinch saffron, bloomed in ¼ cup warm water
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3 tbsp Spanish olive oil
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1 cup crushed tomatoes
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6 cups vegetable stock (or water enriched with oyster liquor)
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1 tsp fleur de sel (plus more to finish)
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1 bay leaf
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2 sprigs rosemary
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4 sprigs thyme
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2 tbsp Flavor Bombe chili crunch (more for serving)
Method
1. Prepare the sofrito (foundation of flavor).
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Heat the Spanish olive oil in a 15–18 inch paella pan over medium heat.
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Add the onion and cook until softened and lightly golden, 5–7 minutes.
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Add garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
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Stir in the red bell pepper, zucchini, and yellow squash. Sauté until lightly caramelized, 6–8 minutes.
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Add crushed tomatoes and cook until the mixture deepens, thickens, and sweetens, 5 minutes.
2. Build the paella base.
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Add the bomba rice and stir to coat each grain in the sofrito, letting it toast lightly for 1–2 minutes.
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Pour in the saffron water, seafood stock, bay leaf, rosemary, thyme, and fleur de sel.
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Do not stir after this point this is key for socarrat formation.
3. Cook the rice.
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Simmer uncovered over medium heat for 15–18 minutes, rotating the pan occasionally for even cooking.
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When the rice is most of the way cooked (liquid mostly absorbed), gently nestle in the mussels and clams hinge-side down.
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Allow them to steam open naturally in the simmering broth, 6–8 minutes.
4. Add oysters & create the socarrat.
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Scatter the oysters over the top during the last 2–3 minutes of cooking so they just barely set but stay tender.
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Increase heat for 2–3 minutes to develop the socarrat the toasted rice crust at the bottom.
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Listen for a gentle crackling sound; this is your cue to stop.
5. Rest & garnish.
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Remove from heat and rest the paella for 5 minutes.
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Remove bay leaf and herb stems.
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Garnish with sliced piquillo peppers.
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Drizzle with a spoonful of Flavor Bombe chili crunch with spanish olive oil for heat and complexity.
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Finish with a pinch of fleur de sel.