SERVES 6–8
300g/11oz raw unpeeled prawns
1kg/2¼lb mussels or 500g/1 lb 2lb carpetshell, Venus or warty Venus clams
175ml/6fl oz olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
3 tablespoons tomato sauce or 1 large, ripe tomato, chopped
2 small squid, cleaned and cut into 5-mm/¼-inch thick rings
500g/1 lb 2oz long-grain rice
3 sprigs fresh parsley
Pinch of saffron threads
2 chicken stock cubes
100g/3½oz canned peas, drained
1 red pepper, seeded and cut into strips
Salt
Lemon wedges
〉〉 Peel the prawns and set the tails aside. Put the heads and shells into a saucepan, pour in plenty of water and simmer for about ten minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and strain the stock into a bowl. If using mussels, scrape the shells with the blade of a knife and remove the ‘beards’, then scrub under cold running water. If using the clams, scrub under cold running water. Discard any shellfish with broken shells or any that do not shut immediately when sharply tapped. Put the shellfi sh in a saucepan or frying pan, add 50ml/2fl oz water, cover and cook over a high heat for three to six minutes, until the shells have opened. Lift out the shellfish with a slotted spoon, discarding any that remain closed. Reserve the
cooking liquid. Remove nearly all the shellfish from their shells but leave a few in the shell or half shell for the garnish.
〉〉 Strain the reserved cooking liquid through a muslin-lined sieve into the prawn stock. Measure and make up to 1.75 litres/three pints with water, if necessary. Pour into a saucepan and heat gently, but do not allow to boil. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4. Put just enough of the oil into a paella pan or large, heavy-based frying pan with a metal handle to cover the base and heat it. Add the onion and garlic and cook over a medium heat, stirring occasionally, for seven minutes, until lightly browned. Add the tomato sauce or fresh tomato and cook, stirring constantly, for a few minutes. Reserve a few prawns for the garnish and add the remainder to the pan with the squid rings and rice. Cook, stirring constantly, until the squid becomes opaque. Add the shelled mussels or clams. Season with a pinch of salt and pour in the hot stock. Gently shake the pan to make sure the liquid is evenly distributed. Pound the parsley with the saffron in a mortar, then stir in two tablespoons water and add to the paella pan. Crumble in the stock cubes. Gently shake the pan or stir with a
wooden spoon. Add the peas to the paella and cook for a few minutes more. Garnish the paella with the strips of red pepper, the reserved prawns and the reserved shellfish in the shell.
〉〉 Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 25 minutes. Spread out a dampened tea towel on a work surface. Remove the pan from the oven, place it on the tea towel and leave for five minutes. Serve with lemon wedges hung over the side of the pan.