Instant Pot Paella with frozen seafood mix

After trying an amazing authentic seafood paella at our friends’ house last weekend I really got inspired to replicate this paella at home. Making Spanish paella in an authentic way using carbon steel paella pan is a great cooking experience, amazing flavor and really great dish for the long weekend night.  It is a great party dish and if you have the time, making it in an authentic way in a pan is ultimately the best option. 

What is Paella? Paella is a dish from Spain originated in Valencia district. It is saffron flavored rice cooked with meats, seafood and vegetables.  

As you already know I am a big fan of pressure cooking and simplified recipes. So today I will be making paella using my favorite Instant Pot. Instant Pot will allow me to cut down the cooking time  significantly, and simplify the cooking process, this way paella can also become your simple weeknight dinner. 

If you are making this dish for a party, paella will go exceptionally well with Spanish Tapas.

Step#1 ( keep in mind that it is only one step in this recipe, so it is super simple! ) 

Cut peppers. 

Interesting fact: why green peppers are less expensive than red peppers…..which are essentially the same peppers. Well, red peppers are fully ripened and require more time to grow. Green peppers could be harvested sooner and therefore more economical to grow. 

Now, mince garlic. 

Chop one large leek. Leeks have an onion flavor, but much milder. When cooked, it becomes sweeter and gives a buttery flavor. 

Pro tip: always rinse leek inside, since it grows in the dirt, it is full of hidden surprises. Cut it in half and rinse well inside before chopping. 

Now, turn on saute mode in Instant Pot, add olive oil and simmer peppers and leeks until softened ( about 6-7 minutes ) and then add minced garlic and simmer for another minute. 

Add a can of diced tomatoes, salt and pepper and cook for another few minutes. 

Now turn off saute mode.

Always remember to deglaze your instant pot after sauteeing and before pressure cooking. Avoiding this step may create a “burn” message on your Instant Pot. Using silicone spatula scrape the bottom of the pot, make sure there is nothing sticking to the bottom or sides of the pot. 

Now, rinse the rice really well, you need to remove all the starch so the rice doesn't get too sticky. You want to use short grain rice for paella, as it is great to absorb flavor from all the spices in this dish. 

What are the best rice options for Paella: Bomba which is also called Valencia rice, Calasparra rice ( which I am using for this recipe ) or Calrose - is medium grain rice, which is widely available in the US. 

 Now you can throw the rest of the ingredients in the instant pot. A big plus of this recipe is that in 25 minutes your dish is ready, all ingredients go in almost at the same time. I call this recipe: throw and go! 

Typically seafood cooks really fast

Since everything is cooked at the same time, the key for this recipe is to use frozen seafood ingredients, this way seafood doesn’t overcook in the pressure cooker….  Alternatively you can use non frozen ingredients, but it will require cooking seafood in a separate step. I am going for simplicity in this recipe. 

Saffron is a key spice which adds a nice flavor to paella, however if you for some reason are out of it, don’t get too upset, replace it with ground turmeric, it will add a nice golden color to the dish. 

After you put all remaining ingredients in the instant pot, close the lid, select the rice setting ( which is between 10 - 12 minutes ). 

Spanish cuisine is not spicy, but personally I like to add some kick to most of my recipes ( so adding red pepper flakes and chile pepper is optional ) 

After time is up, let it naturally release for 10 minutes and then release remaining pressure and turn off Instant Pot. 

Your dish is ready….it looks and tastes amazing. Serve it right away, you can garnish with some parsley on top if you like. 

If you want to add more authenticity to this dish, you can create a rice crust which is called socarrat, by moving this dish to the pan and frying it for a few minutes on high heat under the lid or foil. But it is an extra step and I will not worry about it for this recipe. 

Before dinner I like to serve some appetizers, in this case Spanish tapas…it is a great appetizer, and has a nice fresh flavor. Here is a quick recipe for you: 

Cut 2 large tomatoes in half. Grate using box grater. Add 2 minced garlic cloves. Salt to taste. A bit of red pepper flakes and chopped parsley. Splash of olive oil. Toast 4 pieces of crusty bread such as rustic baguette, sourdough baguette or black olive bread. Drain as much liquid as possible from tomatoes and spread on toasts. ¡Buen provecho!