LIKE ALL regional Spanish food, Valencia’s iconic paella was the result of combining local produce: from orchards and gardens, and the rice fields of the Ebro delta. It was much more frugal than my version, indeed, it had no seafood in it, as it made use of the rabbits, snails and beans to hand.

These days, paella a la Valenciana is more likely to use chicken and shellfish as the core ingredients. A paella de Mariscos is a much more celebratory rice dish but no less classless for that: I have cooked paella for weddings and in the restaurant but also for a gathering of friends in the garden, which is what I propose you do here.

Paella is ideal for a large group. There is just one thing to cook and you need only a plate and fork for each guest. It is not difficult to make if you follow a few essential rules.

Paella takes its name from the thin steel pan of the same name, and you cannot make it in anything else. Pans come in sizes sufficient for 2 to 70 people. You must use a specific Spanish short-grain rice that, unlike risotto rices, will not burst its starch when cooked.

The stock is added all at once, unlike a risotto, and the paella must be cooked uncovered, with no stirring for the last half of the cooking.

The recipe here is for a 44cm pan, probably the largest size that can be accommodated on a domestic stove between four decent burners. In truth, a circular charcoal or wood fire enclosed by bricks is better, as paella really needs a lot of heat for even cooking.





METHOD

First make the stock. In a suitable pot, simmer for 20 minutes the whitefish bones and scraps, the prawn shells and heads, the lobster head, bay leaves, parsley stalks, thyme and onion with 3 litres of water. Strain and keep hot.

Meanwhile, infuse the saffron with hot water for 10 minutes. Heat the pan with the olive oil and cook the lobster until pink, follow with the prawns and paprika and a minute later the squid, peppers, garlic and tomatoes. Give it a couple of minutes and add the measured rice, stirring well to coat the grains.

Cook for a few minutes until the rice starts to catch. Add the saffron and its liquid, the stock (which should be twice the volume of the rice), the mussels and, if you are using them, the clams. Push the shellfish down into the rice, add the peas and asparagus and stop stirring. When the liquid has been absorbed and you judge the rice to be not quite cooked, remove from the heat and rest for ten minutes. Serve with chopped parsley, lemons and finely chopped garlic whisked with olive oil.

Prep: 40 min

Cook: 40 min

Serves 8

400g whitefish bones and scraps

Bay leaves, thyme

Large bunch of parsley

1 medium onion

About 30 saffron strands



16 large prawns, shelled

2 small lobsters, each cut in four pieces

2tsp paprika

8 small squid, cleaned and cut into rings

1 red pepper, chopped

3 ripe tomatoes, chopped

4 garlic cloves, chopped

700g paella rice



20 clams



20 mussels

150g peas

8 asparagus spears, cut into short pieces

4 lemons, halved



David Eyre is the chef and co-proprietor of Eyre Brothers Restaurant, 70 Leonard Street, London EC2. 020-7613 5346.

Jill Dupleix is away

www.timesonline.co.uk/foodandwine — for previous recipes from T2

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