Easy Shrimp Paella

Cooking for a Crowd, Recipes, Weekend Cooking, Worknight Dinners
easy paella recipe
easy paella recipe

Photo: Leigh Loftus

If you’re like me and you can’t afford to travel to exotic foreign countries like Italy, Greece and Spain, you can do what I do: channel the culture in your own living room by preparing cuisine inspired from the country that you hope to someday visit.

Though my budget (or more accurately, lack thereof budget) consistently reminds me that I won’t be jet-setting to the Mediterranean anytime soon, I still like to pretend and I do that by having dinner parties wherein I buy bottles ofย  Tempranillo and invite my friends over for paella and other ethnic specialties that will tide over my international cravings . For the time being.

Because I don’t really care for rice on its own I don’t cook it very much. It didn’t occur to me that a good deal of stirring would be necessary in order for this to turn out remotely edible.

While this is an easy recipes as it’s written I do recommend that if you don’t have a lot of patience for standing over the stove stirring (which I normally would, but not in the presence of friends and Tempranillo) you cook the rice on its own and add three cups of cooked rice when you add the liquids. The rice will still absorb some of the liquid – the rest will evaporate – and you won’t be at quite the high risk of the rice burning to the bottom of your pan.

easy paella recipe

Shrimp Paella
Author: 
Recipe type: Worknight Dinners, Cooking for a Crowd, Weekend Cooking
Cuisine: Cajun
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 6-8
 
Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • ¾ pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 1 (12 ounces) chicken sausage, sliced in ½-inch rounds (you can substitute chorizo if you like extra spice)
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1½ cups long-grain rice
  • ¼ teaspoon paprika
  • ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes
  • 2 cans (14.5 ounces each) reduced-sodium chicken broth
  • Coarse salt and ground pepper
  • 1 cup frozen green peas, thawed
Instructions
  1. In a heavy 12-inch saute pan, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Cook shrimp until just pink on both sides, 4 to 5 minutes (do not overcook). Transfer to a plate.
  2. Add remaining tablespoon oil and sausage to pan; cook over medium-high heat until beginning to brown, about 2 minutes. Add onion, and cook, stirring frequently, until translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Add garlic and rice; cook, stirring to coat, until rice is translucent, 1 to 2 minutes.
  3. Stir in paprika, turmeric, tomatoes, and broth, scraping up browned bits from bottom of pan with a wooden spoon. Season with salt and pepper.
  4. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cover, and cook until rice is tender and has absorbed almost all liquid, 20 to 25 minutes. Stir in peas; cook 1 minute. Stir in cooked shrimp; serve immediately.
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53 Comments

  • Reply
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  • Reply
    Sam
    May 27, 2011 at 3:26 pm

    Lovely shrimp paella, every time I make it there is a party. your photos is adorable.
    You’re wright, when we try a recipe from different cuisine we try to live with it,
    and thats the joy of cooking.

  • Reply
    Rosa
    May 19, 2011 at 6:57 pm

    It looks delicious! Surely very tasty and extremely enjoyable.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

  • Reply
    Maria @ Scandifoodie
    May 19, 2011 at 8:21 am

    Paella is something that is always so tasty, but I rarely make it. I’ll have to give your recipe a go!

  • Reply
    Nami @ Just One Cookbook
    May 19, 2011 at 6:04 am

    Oohhh I like your new profile photo! Very cute and natural. I love Paella too and in fact I know it sounds horrible but I make with Japanese rice because I don’t want to buy different rice just for Paella….anyway your Paella looks delicious! I also can’t travel to European countries as I wish, so I have to do the same thing as you do. ๐Ÿ™‚ Great recipe and thank you for sharing! Getting hungry here.

  • Reply
    Christina @ Sweet Pea's Kitchen
    May 19, 2011 at 2:07 am

    I wish I had this for dinner tonight…It looks super tasty! I love paella, I can’t wait to give this a try! ๐Ÿ™‚

  • Reply
    Reeni
    May 19, 2011 at 1:09 am

    Paella is one thing I haven’t made yet! I love stirring, I think it has therapeutic properties! This looks wonderfully delicious and the fact that it uses shrimp and chicken rather than a whole bunch of different seafood is a plus for me.

  • Reply
    Kate@Diethood.com
    May 18, 2011 at 8:02 pm

    The Paella looks so good!

    P.S. I hate standing above the stove and stirring… and lemon curd is one of my favorite desserts/fillings :/

  • Reply
    emily (a nutritionist eats)
    May 18, 2011 at 7:56 pm

    THis is great! I’ve always been really intimidated to make paella, but have always wanted to try!

  • Reply
    5 Star Foodie
    May 18, 2011 at 2:30 pm

    A perfect weekday dinner, this is a great dish to put together featuring excellent flavors, nice.

  • Reply
    Simply Life
    May 18, 2011 at 11:30 am

    paella is one of my favorite things ever! this looks wonderful!

  • Reply
    Delishhh
    May 18, 2011 at 4:24 pm

    Oh what a nice recipe – i love Paella and you have made a great version of it. I know what you mean when you don’t want to stir while your guests are there – i try to make everything before they come and just “heat” stuff up while they are there as much as i can. Not always easy to do.

  • Reply
    Georgia @ The Comfort of Cooking
    May 18, 2011 at 2:19 pm

    I love your philosophy of “traveling” through cooking – that is such a great way of looking at it! This paella looks SO mouthwateringly good and surprisingly simple! Wonderful recipe, Maris, and your new profile photo is really beautiful too. Have a great day. ๐Ÿ™‚

  • Reply
    Jessica
    May 18, 2011 at 12:40 pm

    Yum. that looks so good and fresh and flavorful. I love her version. You can never go wrong with Martha Stewart in my book!

  • Reply
    Joanne
    May 18, 2011 at 12:24 pm

    I TOTALLY travel through cooking also! It’s the cheaper way to do it. And still isn’t always so cheap. But at least you don’t have to worry about exchange rates and passports and leery Italian men!

    This paella looks delicious. I’ve never attempted one before but you make it look so good!

  • Reply
    Heather @girlichef
    May 18, 2011 at 11:54 am

    Mmmmm…it looks so tasty. Yeah, I’m the same…wishing I could travel the globe, but my (empty) pocketbook stops me ๐Ÿ˜‰

  • Reply
    Blond Duck
    May 18, 2011 at 11:20 am

    I love having dinner parties!

  • Reply
    Christy
    May 18, 2011 at 8:02 am

    Yumz, shrimps are always great with anything;) (okay, almost anything!)

  • Reply
    Sawsan@ chef in disguises
    May 18, 2011 at 6:43 am

    Oh I’m so like you in that..theme dinners is something I really enjoy ๐Ÿ™‚

  • Reply
    Roz
    May 17, 2011 at 10:04 pm

    Paella is delicious, and a great dish to share with company!!! A spanish red wine and this? You are as good as there!! ๐Ÿ™‚ Have a great day Maris! BTW, love the new photo!!!!

  • Reply
    Chris
    May 18, 2011 at 2:31 am

    I always order Paella when I get the chance, but don’t make it at home. This recipe is one I can wrap my hands around. And, with chicken sausage? Score!

  • Reply
    Tara
    May 18, 2011 at 2:17 am

    I LOVE LOVE LOVE paella!! It brings me back to my trip to Spain that I took over the summer. It was my first trip to Europe! I took a paella class and it was fascinating. On Christmas we had a Spanish themed dinner so I could show everyone my favorite dishes, and my paella was a hit! This one sounds fabulous, I know my mom would have loved chicken sausage in it.

  • Reply
    Lisa of Lisa's Yarns
    May 18, 2011 at 1:45 am

    This looks really good. And do-able. i made Paella with my aunt 2 years ago and she sent me home with the recipe, but I have yet to try it… it involves mussels and mussel intimidate me! But this recipe? This i can do!

  • Reply
    Betty @ scrambled hen fruit
    May 18, 2011 at 1:27 am

    I love paella, but I’ve never tried making it. I won a paella pan a while back in a giveaway- I’ll need to dust it off and try this one. ๐Ÿ™‚

  • Reply
    chopinandmysaucepan
    May 18, 2011 at 1:25 am

    Looks great Maris.

    I would be tempted to sautee the shrimp shells in a little oil and then add water to get some stock to soak up the rice. Shrimp stock is so flavoursome especially for seafood dishes ๐Ÿ™‚

  • Reply
    Tanvi@SinfullySpicy
    May 18, 2011 at 12:07 am

    Love paella but never tried it at home. Looks wonderful & colorful!

  • Reply
    peachkins
    May 17, 2011 at 11:21 pm

    Yes I also do that. I cook dishes from different countries so I can immerse myself in their culture.. that paella looks really delicious!

  • Reply
    Gen
    May 17, 2011 at 10:30 pm

    This looks soooo awesome!!!!! I love having international-style meals!!!!!!!!!

  • Reply
    Three-Cookies
    May 17, 2011 at 10:26 pm

    Making paella is a step towards a journey ending in Spain in future!

  • Reply
    Anne
    May 17, 2011 at 9:37 pm

    I can’t wait to try this! I’ve been wanting to make paella for a while now but let’s face it…I’m cheap. So there’s no way I’m shelling out for saffron (although it’s so lovely that one day I will eventually cave) so I love that this is a saffron-free version!

  • Reply
    Melissa (MelissaLikesToEat)
    May 17, 2011 at 8:11 pm

    Yum! I love everything about Paella! Thanks for sharing this great recipe!

  • Reply
    Xiaolu
    May 17, 2011 at 5:02 pm

    Shrimp is one of my favorite proteins and it looks incredible in this easy paella.

  • Reply
    Lucy@The Sweet Touch
    May 17, 2011 at 4:52 pm

    Looks great! I love this simplified version!

  • Reply
    Morgan @ moments of mmm
    May 17, 2011 at 4:37 pm

    I have yet to attempt making Paella! It kind of makes me nervous. But this recipe looks pretty easy to follow. I will definitely have to do the precooked rice thing though, I am notorious for burning it!

  • Reply
    Beth @ DiningAndDishing
    May 17, 2011 at 4:19 pm

    looks incredible! paella is one of my very favorite dishes. my dad does an amazing one that i always request when im visiting home :).

  • Reply
    Geni
    May 17, 2011 at 3:37 pm

    What a lovely blog you have here and I am so glad you stopped by mine so we can be introduced. I, like you, can’t travel everywhere I would like to due to budget issues, but I CAN treat our family to exotic meals. I love this shrimp paella and love even MORE that it is fairly simple. Thanks!

  • Reply
    Sara @ Fun Simple Sweet
    May 17, 2011 at 2:44 pm

    Lov shrimp! This looks delicious!

  • Reply
    Kelly
    May 17, 2011 at 2:39 pm

    This sounds fantastic. I’m probably weird because I don’t mind the constant stirring. Sometimes some mindless work is lovely.

  • Reply
    Sarah Caron
    May 17, 2011 at 2:36 pm

    Yum! That looks so good. I am a sucker for anything with shrimp in it. And I am also a huge rice fan … though I am the opposite of you — I typically like mine plain, topped with stuff or just salted and sprinkled with nori.

  • Reply
    Nicole@HeatOvenTo350
    May 17, 2011 at 2:34 pm

    I love travelling through food. The first time I had paella was in a high school Spanish class. Our teacher made it for us and it was so good that my opinion of her went way up after that. I’m excited to try this version. It looks so good.

  • Reply
    yummychunklet
    May 17, 2011 at 2:16 pm

    Paella is on my list of “things I want to make”! I’ll definitely be trying this version to start out. Yours looks delicious.

  • Reply
    leslie
    May 17, 2011 at 2:15 pm

    Ohhh I love paella…It is everywhere here in Tampa!

  • Reply
    Sarah
    May 17, 2011 at 2:02 pm

    This looks like a really simple tasty recipe. I’m not a huge fan of Spanish food, but I make an exception for paella … yummy ๐Ÿ™‚

  • Reply
    Caroline
    May 17, 2011 at 1:57 pm

    Love an easy paella!

  • Reply
    Alexis @ There She Goes
    May 17, 2011 at 1:47 pm

    this looks so springy and delish!

  • Reply
    Sukaina
    May 17, 2011 at 1:31 pm

    Rice are a staple in my house so I’m sure my family would love this.

  • Reply
    Alyssa - fashion fitness foodie
    May 17, 2011 at 1:22 pm

    I tried to make a paella once n it was so bleh. I’d def like to try it again n I know Martha knows what she’s doing!

  • Reply
    Tara @ Chip Chip Hooray
    May 17, 2011 at 12:42 pm

    What a great recipe! I lived in Spain for a few months and often have cravings for paella (…in addition to churros and chocolate). I think I might also try adding a couple of pinches of saffron if I’m feeling decadent–that golden color makes it look so authentic! ๐Ÿ™‚ Mmm, thanks for sharing.

  • Reply
    Kate
    May 17, 2011 at 12:26 pm

    Great photos and this recipe looks easy and so tasty! And what a great idea to serve this at a dinner party – one dish wonder!

  • Reply
    Erica
    May 17, 2011 at 12:15 pm

    I made paella once before and really enjoyed it. I love how the flavors combine to create an amazing tasting dish. This makes me want to throw a party ๐Ÿ™‚

  • Reply
    Daryl
    May 17, 2011 at 12:10 pm

    This looks delicious! I love shrimp any way i can get it!

  • Reply
    Linda
    May 17, 2011 at 12:07 pm

    I’m so like you about traveling through the dishes I make. I’ve not yet been to Italy but I pretend I’m there every time I cook Italian! This paella sounds perfect for a quick weeknight dinner! I’ve heard from many people that burned rice on the bottom is a treat they love! So don’t worry about burning the bottom!!!

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