Fish & Ocean Greens Paella

Colourful and full of coastal flavour, this fish and seaweed paella combines tender white fish, mussels and prawns with saffron rice, tomatoes and garlic.

Seaweed brings savoury depth to the stock, allowing its flavour to carry through the rice as it cooks. Finished with fresh parsley and lemon wedges, it’s a generous dish to share with family or friends.

Serves

4

Ingredients

• 2kg mixed whole fish, such as hake, bream, bass or gurnard
• 16 mussels, cleaned and debearded
• 1 onion, peeled
• 1 tbsp Mixed Seaweed Flakes
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled
• A pinch of paprika
• 4 medium tomatoes
• 1.5 litres water
• 120ml white wine
• A pinch of salt
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 10g dried Sea Salad
• 15g Ocean Greens
• 8 large prawns, unpeeled
• 6 saffron threads
• 2 cups paella rice, measured by volume (475ml)
• A handful of flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
• Lemon wedges, to serve

Method

1. Fillet the fish, reserving the heads, bones and offcuts for the stock. Check the mussels, discarding any with broken shells or any open mussels that do not close when sharply tapped.
2. Place the fish heads, bones and offcuts in a large saucepan with 8 of the mussels, half the onion, the Mixed Seaweed Flakes, bay leaf, 1 garlic clove, paprika and 1 roughly chopped tomato.
3. Add the water and white wine, then bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 45 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, crush the remaining 3 garlic cloves in a pestle and mortar with a pinch of salt and ½ tbsp of the olive oil. Alternatively, finely chop the garlic and combine with the salt and oil on a chopping board.
5. Cut a shallow cross into the base of each remaining tomato. Briefly immerse them in boiling water, then transfer to a bowl of iced water. Peel away the skins, cut the tomatoes in half and remove the seeds. Add the flesh to the garlic mixture and pound or finely chop to form a paste.
6. Strain the stock into another large saucepan. Add the dried Sea Salad or shredded fresh seaweed and continue to simmer gently.
7. Heat the remaining olive oil in a large, flat-based frying pan or paella pan over a low heat. Dice the remaining half of the onion and cook for approximately 15 minutes, until softened but not browned.
8. Bring the stock to a gentle boil. Add the fish fillets, prawns and remaining mussels, then poach for approximately 5 minutes, until the fish and prawns are cooked through and the mussels have opened. Remove the seafood with a slotted spoon and set aside, discarding any mussels that remain closed.
9. Add the garlic and tomato paste to the softened onion. Stir well and cook for 2 minutes.
10. Add the saffron and 900ml of the hot stock, then add the paella rice. Spread the rice evenly across the pan and cook over a low heat for approximately 20 minutes, until the rice is tender and has absorbed the stock. Add a little more hot stock if needed.
11. Arrange the cooked fish, prawns and mussels over the rice and gently heat through. Scatter with the chopped parsley and serve with lemon wedges.

Variation

If you’re using prepared fish fillets, use a good-quality bought fish stock instead of making your own.