shrimp, sausage, and veggie paella
completely inauthentic, entirely delicious
If you listened to this week’s episode of So Into That, you know that I’m headed to Spain with two of my best friends from high school in May! I was looking at the upcoming calendar of recipes and jotted down “paella” for a post-Spain post where I’d recap the trip and share a recipe inspired by it.
But then I couldn’t stop thinking about paella! And when my neighbor who works for an asparagus company stopped by with several bunches… I knew what I had to do. A spring veggie-packed paella! With shrimp AND sausage. Once I’d cooked up the first batch, I knew those springy flavors were screaming for a bit of an inauthentic paella ingredient: fresh basil. And then I remembered that my favorite paella spot when I studied abroad in Sevilla, Spain, came drizzled with a bright, tangy lemon aioli.
So, here we are. Pre-gaming for my Spain trip with a springy, SUPER simple paella recipe that’ll take you 45 minutes from start to finish. I hope you love it as much as my family did.
I still have to deconstruct things a bit for my kids so I served them rice with sausage, cut-up shrimp, and a couple peas and asparagus on the side. They did not touch the vegetables, but they ate all of the rice and shrimp!
Here are some other meals you should make in the coming weeks to celebrate the arrival of spring produce:
30-minute sheet-pan chimichurri fish - asparagus!
roasted asparagus farro-to - asparagus!
crispy farro with sausage and asparagus - asparagus!
sheet-pan spring salmon - asparagus + dill!
cacio e pepe primavera - asparagus + peas!
sheet-pan miso ginger salmon - snap peas!
seared tuna with sesame noodles - snap peas!
jerk chicken with coconut rice and strawberry salsa - strawberries!
mango peanut chicken salad - carrots + mint!
sheet-pan balsamic glazed pork with fennel and potatoes - fennel!
This week’s episode of So Into That was a short and sweet solo session, in which I run through what I’m currently into (low-lift at-home hosting) and share a small-world moment and absolutely perfect poem my cousin wrote about marriage. If you haven’t already, go look at the comments that came in on the email. Hundreds of you shared what you’re so into and out on at the moment and it’s pure gold!!
shrimp, sausage, and veggie paella
Serves 4-6
Cook time: 45 minutes
Tools:
Colander
12- to 14-inch cast-iron skillet or another large oven-safe skillet (a shallow Dutch oven would also work)
Microplane (to zest your lemon)
Ingredients:
2 medium leeks, sliced and washed thoroughly
3 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil
12 ounces of andouille or chorizo sausage, sliced 1/4- to 1/2-inch thick (leftover Easter ham would also do well!)
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 1⁄2 teaspoons of smoked paprika (or a pinch of saffron if you have it)
2 cups of short-grain white rice (or bomba or arborio rice)
4 cups of chicken or vegetable stock
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 lemon, preferably organic since we’re going to zest it
Handful of basil, finely chopped, plus some whole leaves for garnish
1 bunch of asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces (woody ends trimmed off and discarded first)
1 cup of frozen peas
1 pound of peeled and deveined shrimp
Preheat your oven to 450°F.
To start, let’s wash the 2 medium leeks. Washing leeks is annoying, but they’re worth it, promise! Chop off and discard the tough dark green parts and the roots, then slice the light green parts into thin rings. Place them in a colander set within a large bowl and fill it with water. Use your hands to submerge and wash the dirt off the leeks. Don't forget to look inside the layers! That's where the dirt hides. Once clean, lift the colander out of the bowl and rinse thoroughly. Dry them off with a clean dish towel.
Set a large oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Once warm, add 3 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil.
While your oil is warming, cut 12 ounces of andouille or chorizo sausage into 1/4- to 1/2-inch thick slices. Add the washed leeks and sliced sausage to the pan, sautéing them for 5 minutes, until the leeks are softened and the sausage is beginning to brown. Add 3 minced garlic cloves and 1 1⁄2 teaspoons of smoked paprika and continue cooking until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add 2 cups of short-grain white rice, tossing to coat the rice in the oil and other cooked ingredients. Add 4 cups of chicken or vegetable stock and a generous pinch of both salt and pepper, and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Once simmering, carefully add the pan to the oven, UNCOVERED!!, and bake for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, make your lemon aioli. In a small bowl, mix 1/2 cup mayonnaise, the zest and juice of half of your lemon, a handful of chopped basil, and a pinch of salt. Set aside. Slice up the other half of the lemon to use later as garnish.
Cut the woody stems off of 1 bunch of asparagus and discard them, then slice the stalks into 1-inch pieces.
Once your skillet has been in the oven for 15 minutes, remove it and carefully add the chopped asparagus and 1 cup of frozen peas, stirring them into the rice. Place 1 pound of peeled and deveined shrimp on top. Return the skillet to the oven and cook (still uncovered!) for an additional 10 minutes, until the veggies are vibrant and cooked and your shrimp is pink, opaque, and curled like a C.
Serve garnished with a generous dollop or drizzle of your aioli, a lemon slice, and a few whole basil leaves. Enjoy!
link to printer version
Prep ahead: You can slice and wash your leeks days ahead of time and store them in an airtight container in the fridge with a paper towel or dish cloth beneath them. Washing the leeks is honestly the fussiest part of this recipe! You could also wash and chop your asparagus and/or slice the sausage ahead of time, storing both in separate airtight containers in the fridge.
Can I use frozen shrimp? Yes! You can add them to the skillet frozen — they will just take a few extra minutes to fully cook. Watch for them to turn pink, opaque, and curl into a C shape.
Should I wash the rice first? Traditionally in paella, the rice isn’t pre-washed (to avoid washing away excess starch, which makes for that delicious sticky consistency paella’s known for). If not washing rice freaks you out from a health standpoint, you’re absolutely welcome to wash it before you use it and it’ll still turn out great.
What other veggies could I use? If you have frozen sweet corn, that’d be great to add along with or in place of the peas. Red, yellow, or orange bell pepper — dice it and sauté it along with the leeks. Some people also love diced tomatoes in their paella. If that’s you, stir in a can of drained diced tomatoes with the asparagus and peas. You will just need to be sure that you don’t overload the skillet, so halve or cut back on the amount of veggies elsewhere to keep it in check.
What other spices can I use? If you have turmeric, add a sprinkle along with the paprika for extra nutrients. Saffron is a traditional paella spice but is also very $$. If you have some, you can swap the paprika out for a pinch or it, or use both.
The perfect asparagus: If available, go for medium-width asparagus (about the width of your pinky finger). I find it tastier than super thin or thick asparagus, though those are fine if it’s all you can find.
I’m allergic to shrimp: You can either just omit it and have a sausage + veggie paella, or swap it out for chicken if you want two meats! See the sausage sub for the chicken how-to.
Love your leftovers/freezer-friendly: These leftovers are fab and last for up to 3 days in the fridge. Paella is also freezer friendly. To freeze them, let the paella cool completely then add it to a Ziploc bag (or bags) and lay it flat in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let frozen paella thaw in the fridge overnight, then reheat it on the stove, adding splashes of water or stock as needed to loosen it up.
Feeding kids: See the intro section for how I plate this meal for my boys! If they don’t like the aioli, sub in ketchup and/or ranch.
Vegetarian: TJ’s sells a soy chorizo sausage that would be perfect for this! Or any other plant-based sausage would be great. And just omit the shrimp.
Dairy-free/gluten-free: It’s already dairy-free. If you’re avoiding gluten, read the ingredient labels for stock and sausage when you’re shopping as both typically don’t — but sometimes can! — contain gluten, depending on the brand.
Leeks: 1 large minced shallot would be the best sub! Or a small onion of any color. Or 1 bunch of sliced scallions.
EVOO: Olive oil or another neutral cooking oil like grapeseed or avocado oil
Andouille or chorizo sausage: Your sausage might come in one big link or several smaller links — either is great. Pork, beef, or turkey kielbasa, or any other smoked sausage (pork, turkey, chicken, vegetarian, whatever!) will work. You could also swap sausage out for a pound of boneless, skinless chicken thighs. Cut them into bite-sized pieces and sauté them in the skillet like you would the sausage until nearly cooked through, before adding the other ingredients. Or like I said above, leftover Easter ham or even lamb would be great!
Garlic cloves: 3 frozen minced garlic cubes or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Smoked paprika: A pinch of saffron would be amazing if you’ve got it. Regular/sweet paprika is fine if it’s all you have (though I really love the smokiness smoked paprika gives it!), or you can sub for chipotle powder or even chili powder.
Short-grain white rice: Any short-grain white rice, Bomba rice (which is a short-grain rice typically used in authentic paella), or arborio rice (typically used in risotto) works as written. You can definitely sub in long-grain rice or brown rice, but you’ll need to adjust the amount of stock and cook time — read the package to determine the right ratio of stock to rice and the new cook time!
Chicken or veggie stock: Chicken or veggie broth, or 4 cups water + 4 teaspoons Better than Bouillon
Mayonnaise: Plain yogurt, plain Greek yogurt, or sour cream
Lemon: If you can’t find organic, conventional is fine!! The lemony flavor is so good here, so try to get one. If you’re in a bind, skip the zest and use a tablespoon of light-colored vinegar in place of the juice.
Basil: Fresh parsley or cilantro
Asparagus + peas: Snap peas or green beans. See the “what other veggies could I use” note above for more ideas!
Shrimp: Scallops would be great. Cook them the same way as the shrimp but for 15-20 minutes. You can also swap in chicken (see the sausage sub for a how to) or omit if needed for an allergy!
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Editor: Molly Ramsey
Yogurt is the BEST mayo sub. I use it for egg/tuna/salmon/chicken salad. I also use it to sub sour cream. And I often use pressed cottage cheese (it's not super easy to find, but a local-to-Toronto dairy makes them. They specialize in Eastern European foods) for feta when I don't have feta on hand.
I made your “mom’s egg salad” and served it as an appetizer on crackers last night ! It was a big hit. Thank you ! Betsy