How to Make Paella Valenciana — The Authentic Albufera Recipe

Overview

This video details how to make authentic Paella Valenciana, adhering to the protected designation of origin recipe from the Albufera lagoon region. It covers the exact ten ingredients, the specific pan and wood-fire cooking method, and techniques to achieve the prized caramelized rice crust known as socarrat.

Ingredients

• 200 grams bomba rice or Calasparra rice per person
• Bone-in chicken thighs, cut into pieces
• Rabbit, cut into pieces
• 1/2 cup garrofó (large flat white Valencian lima bean)
• 3 cups bachoqueta (broad flat green Valencian bean) and ferradura (horseshoe-shaped green bean) mixed
• 3 tablespoons grated ripe tomato
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 full teaspoon sweet smoked pimentón dulce paprika
• 1/10 of a gram saffron threads per 4 servings
• Water
• 1 heavy teaspoon coarse salt (total for meat)
• Fresh lemon quarters for garnish

Instructions

1. Heat half a cup of olive oil in a wide flat shallow carbon-steel paella pan over medium-high wood fire until it shimmers.
2. Salt the chicken and rabbit with one heavy teaspoon coarse salt total.
3. Lay the salted chicken and rabbit around the perimeter of the pan and sear for twelve to fifteen minutes, turning until both sides are deep golden mahogany.
4. Push the seared meat to the center of the pan.
5. Add the green beans (three cups total of mixed bachoqueta and ferradura, and a half cup garrofó) and fry for five minutes.
6. Push the beans to the side and slightly drop the heat.
7. Add three tablespoons of grated ripe tomato and one full teaspoon of pimentón dulce sweet smoked paprika.
8. Toast the tomato and paprika for two minutes only, stirring constantly, to prevent burning.
9. Add water to fill the pan exactly to the level of the rivets where the handles meet the pan (approximately six cups for a four-person paella, ten cups for an eight-person paella).
10. Bring the broth to a rolling boil and simmer for fifteen minutes.
11. While simmering, toast one-tenth of a gram of saffron threads (a healthy pinch for four servings) in a dry pan over low heat for thirty seconds.
12. Crumble the toasted saffron into a small cup of warm broth and then add it back to the pan.
13. Taste the broth and adjust salt; it should be slightly oversalted, as the rice will absorb it.
14. Add the bomba rice (two-hundred grams per person) sprinkled across the pan in a cross pattern, then redistribute evenly with a wooden spatula.
15. Do not stir the rice from this moment onward.
16. Cook the rice at high heat for eight minutes, then drop the heat to medium-low for ten minutes.
17. At minute fifteen of rice cooking, rotate the pan a quarter turn every minute to even out hot spots.
18. At minute eighteen, the rice should be just done (al dente) with no surface liquid.
19. To create socarrat, raise the heat to high for sixty to ninety seconds in the last part of cooking, listening for a faint crackling and sniffing for a toasted (not burnt) smell.
20. Immediately pull the pan off the heat.
21. Cover the pan with a clean kitchen towel and rest for five minutes off the heat.
22. Scrape up the dark mahogany crackling crust (socarrat) with a wooden spatula and serve a piece to every guest.
23. Garnish with quarters of fresh lemon (squeeze, never spread) and serve directly from the pan with wooden spoons, working from the edge inward.

In this video

• True Valencian Paella Master Valenciana is a traditional peasant dish originating from the Albufera lagoon countryside outside Valencia in the 1700s.
• The European Union granted Valencian Paella Master Valenciana protected designation of origin in 2012, specifying exactly ten ingredients.
• Adding chorizo or seafood to this dish results in 'arroz con cosas' (rice with stuff), which is fine but not authentic Paella Valenciana.
• The specific ten ingredients are bomba or Calasparra rice, bone-in chicken thighs, rabbit, garrofó, bachoqueta, ferradura, grated ripe tomato, extra virgin olive oil, sweet smoked pimentón dulce paprika, and saffron threads, plus water and salt.
• The paella pan should be a wide, flat, shallow carbon-steel pan, with exactly one inch of pan diameter per serving.
• An even wood fire made from orange-wood, vine cuttings, or olive-tree clippings is crucial for consistent heat distribution.
• Do not stir the rice after adding it to the pan; it should cook high and dry for exactly eighteen minutes.
• The broth should be slightly oversalted before adding the rice, as the rice will absorb some of the salt.
• Socarrat, the caramelized rice crust at the bottom of the pan, is achieved by raising the heat to high for the last 60-90 seconds of cooking.
• Authentic Paella Valenciana is traditionally eaten directly from the pan with wooden spoons, working in segments from the edge inward, and garnished with squeezed fresh lemon.

Frequently asked questions

What makes a paella authentically Valencian?

An authentic Paella Valenciana, also known as Valencian Paella Master Valenciana, is defined by its protected designation of origin, which specifies exactly ten ingredients and a traditional cooking method, typically over a wood fire. It originates as a peasant dish from the Albufera lagoon region.

What ingredients are in traditional Paella Valenciana?

The ten official ingredients are bomba or Calasparra rice, bone-in chicken thighs, rabbit, garrofó (Valencian lima bean), bachoqueta (broad green bean), ferradura (horseshoe-shaped green bean), grated ripe tomato, extra virgin olive oil, sweet smoked pimentón dulce paprika, and saffron threads. Water and salt are also used.

What is socarrat in paella?

Socarrat is the prized dark mahogany crackling crust formed by the rice caramelizing against the hot metal at the bottom of the paella pan. It is achieved by raising the heat to high for the last 60 to 90 seconds of cooking, producing a toasted, not burnt, smell and texture.

Can I add chorizo or seafood to Paella Valenciana?

No, traditional Paella Valenciana does not include chorizo, onion, peppers, or seafood. Adding these ingredients would make 'arroz con cosas' (rice with stuff), which is a fine dish but not considered authentic Paella Valenciana.

How long does it take to cook Paella Valenciana?

The total cook time for Paella Valenciana, from start to finish, is approximately 45 minutes. This includes searing meat, frying beans, toasting spices, simmering broth, and cooking the rice, followed by a short rest.