True to Cleonice Restaurant’s Mediterranean focus, this fabulous paella, chock full of local in-season seafood and flavorful sausage, is almost always on the menu. It’s colorful, festive, and tastes sublime–a fabulous dish for a party. Feel free to improvise and add vegetables and seafood of your choice.

Paella Cleonice
Brooke Dojny, Dishing Up Maine

2 cups arborio rice
½ teaspoon crushed saffron threads
2 cups water
¼ cup olive oil
¾ pound boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1½-inch chunks (about 1½ cups)
8 ounces spicy Spanish chorizo or Portugese chourico or linguica, sliced
1 large onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
¾ cup dry white wine
16-20 sea scallops (about 1½ pounds; tough muscle removed from side of each)
12 littleneck clams, scrubbed
24 mussels, scrubbed
3 cups bottled clam juice, chicken broth, water, or a combination
1 pound raw shrimp (preferably Maine shrimp), shelled and deveined, or ½ pound crabmeat
2 cups fresh (about 2 pounds in shell) or thawed frozen tiny green peas
1 cup coarsely chopped fresh herbs, such as Italian parsley, tarragon, oregano, and rosemary
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

To blanch the rice, heat a large skillet (with lid) over medium-high heat. Add the rice and saffron to the dry skillet and cook, shaking the pan gently and stirring with a wooden spoon, until the rice starts to change to a more opaque white color, about 1 minute. The rice should be hot, but not turning brown. Tilt the pan away from you to avoid splashing, and pour in the water. Bring to a boil, cover, and cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and set aside, covered, until ready to use in the paella. (This blanching process helps create the “crust” texture that is considered the best part of the rice. The blanching can be done a day ahead and the rice held at cool room temperature.)

Heat the oil in a very large skillet (with lid) or paella pan over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Add the sausage, onion, bell pepper, and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes. (The paella can be prepared to the point up to 3 hours ahead and held at cool room temperature.)

Add the wine to the pan and cook over high heat, stirring up any brown particles in the bottom of the pan. Add the scallops, clams, mussels, the blanched rice, and the clam juice, stirring to distribute the ingredients evenly. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook, covered, for 15 minutes.

Add the shrimp, peas, and herbs and cook until the shrimp turn pink, about 5 minutes. Discard any clams or mussels that didn’t open. Season with the salt and pepper to taste. Serve directly from the pan or transfer to a serving platter.

Serves 8-10.

Brooke Dojny is the author of several cookbooks including Dishing Up Maine.