Paella Mixta
Rice cooked in a wide pan with chicken, prawns, mussels and green beans in a saffron stock until it forms a toasted crust.
Photograph credit: Paella Mixta by Krewman · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
How to Cook Paella Mixta
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Heat the oil in a wide paella pan and brown the chicken for 8 minutes. Add the pepper and garlic for 3 minutes, then the tomatoes and paprika for 5 minutes.
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Add the rice and stir for 1 minute. Pour in the hot stock, saffron, green beans and salt. Bring to a boil and do not stir again.
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Simmer for 10 minutes. Press the prawns and mussels into the rice.
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Cook for 8 minutes more, then turn up the heat for 1 minute to form a crust. Discard any unopened mussels.
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Cover with foil, rest for 5 minutes and serve with the lemon.
Related guide: Choosing rice.
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Keep an Eye on These
- Do not stir after adding the stock.
- Use a wide, shallow pan.
- Listen for the crackle to know the crust has formed.
Common Substitutions & Variations
- An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the stand-in usually given when you are out of fresh garlic; it will not brown the same way, and it burns easily, so add it with the liquid.
A Little Background
Purists in Valencia say that seafood and meat do not belong together, and the rest of Spain makes paella mixta anyway. It is the paella of beach restaurants and family parties, with chicken and prawns and mussels in one pan, and it tastes good enough to defend itself.
The pan matters, but a wide, shallow frying pan will do. The rice should be no more than 1.5 cm deep, so it cooks evenly. Use paella rice or any short-grain: it absorbs three times its volume of stock without turning creamy. Never stir the rice after the stock goes in. Stirring releases starch and makes a risotto, which is a different dish.
Start by browning the chicken in olive oil, then the peppers, then a sofrito of tomato, garlic and paprika. Add the rice, toast it for 1 minute, then pour in the hot stock with saffron and green beans. Bring to a boil, lower to a simmer, and cook for 10 minutes.
Press the prawns and mussels into the rice, and cook for 8 minutes more. For the last minute, turn up the heat to form the socarrat, a thin crust of toasted rice at the base. You will hear it crackle. Rest for 5 minutes, covered with foil.
On the Table Alongside
Lemon wedges · Green salad · Alioli · Sangria
Sides from the same cuisine on this site: Espinacas a la Catalana, Judias Verdes con Jamon.
Keeping Paella Mixta
Best eaten straight away. Keeps in the fridge for 1 day.
Nutrition per Serving
Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central figures (SR Legacy). A calculation, not a laboratory analysis: brands, cuts and how you measure change the real numbers. How the figures are worked out.
Your notes on this recipe
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Compiled by Turab
Checked by script for timings, diet labels and nutrition arithmetic. How the recipes are checked. Found a mistake? Tell us.
First published ; last changed .
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