Description

Everyday pantry rice, steamed fluffy under a lid, then crisped into a golden bottom crust, with tinned mussels and razor clams and a smoky paprika aioli.

Ingredients

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For the rice

2 tablespoon olive oil, plus about 1 tablespoon more for crisping
1/4 cup small Spanish onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
A generous 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1/2 cup medium-grain rice (Calrose, arroz carolino or arborio)
1 tin mussels in brine or escabeche, drained
1 tin razor clams, drained and roughly chopped
1 cup clam juice or seafood stock, plus 1/2 cup more kept warm beside the pan
Lemon wedges, for serving
2 tablespoon fresh chives, thinly sliced

For the aioli

3 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 small garlic clove, grated
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
A pinch of salt

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Instructions

In an 8-inch paella pan or cast iron skillet with a lid, soften the onion in 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds. Add the tomato paste, paprika and salt, and cook 2 to 3 minutes, until darkened. Add the rice and stir to coat every grain, 1 to 2 minutes.
Pour in 1 cup of stock, stir to level the rice, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a steady simmer, cover, and cook 17 to 18 minutes. Uncover and taste a grain. There should be only a tablespoon or so of liquid left. If there's more, re-cover and cook another 5 minutes. If the rice is still firm and the pan is dry, add a few tablespoons of warm stock, re-cover, and cook 3 to 4 minutes more.
Once the rice is tender, scatter the chopped razor clams across the rice and gently distribute them over the top, without digging into the rice below. Raise the heat to medium-high and cook uncovered about 3 minutes, until the sound of brothy bubbling turns to a sizzle.
Drizzle about 1 tablespoon of olive oil around the edge of the pan in two full passes, plus a drizzle across the middle if your pan is wide. Cook undisturbed at medium-high, 5 to 7 minutes, until you smell toasted rice, rotating the pan if your burner is smaller than the pan. Check for a light crust to form where the rice meets the side of the pan, and push a fork to the bottom: it should meet firm, crisp resistance. Pull it off the heat the moment the smell turns sharp.
Set the pan on a damp folded kitchen towel to stop the cooking. Arrange the mussels over the rice, cover with a dry kitchen towel, and rest 5 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk the mayonnaise, garlic, paprika, lemon juice and salt until smooth. Dot the aioli over the rice, scatter the chives, and serve in the pan with lemon wedges.

Notes

Check when the lid comes off. About a tablespoon of liquid left is right. If there's more, cover and cook another 5 minutes. Once the rice is tender and the liquid is gone, move on to the clams and the crisp.
Crust cues. Plan on 5 to 7 minutes from the sizzle. Look for a light crust at the edge, and a fork pushed to the bottom should meet firm, crusty resistance. Pull the pan the moment the toasted smell turns sharp.
Damp towel. It stops carryover cooking, which keeps a golden crust from turning burnt, especially in cast iron.
Don't rinse the rice. The surface starch binds the crust.
Doubling. Use a larger skillet rather than a deeper layer, and drizzle oil across the middle once the pan gets wide.

Prep Time: 10
Cook Time: 30
Category: main dish
Method: Stove Top
Cuisine: Spanish