Recipes for Meatless Fridays: Seafood Paella or Paella de Marisco

I almost forgot that I needed to blog about a meatless recipe today.  I was busy preparing for my talk/presentation tomorrow among other domestic concerns when I realized that it's already afternoon and I haven't posted a meatless recipe.

 

Anyway, I choose to post about one of my favorite dishes today -- Paella.  Paella is a popular dish from Spain.  It originated in Valencia but later became popular in the entire region and eventually outside of Spain.  You may read here to learn more about its origin. 

 

Traditional Paella has meat (like chicken or sausages) but since it's Lent, I'm sharing here the Seafood Paella version.  I have tasted both versions - traditional and seafood only -- and both are very delicious.  There are many versions or ways of cooking Paella actually and it is said that it varies depending on the style and preference of the one cooking it.

Let me quote from an article published last year in Inquirer Lifestyle:

“To talk about real paella is difficult. We have thousands of recipes. If you go to Spain and you are in the main towns in the middle of the Iberian Peninsula, the paellas will be more on meat and vegetables. They will be adding pimentón or Spanish paprika.

“If you are in the coastline, the paella will be more on fish and seafood, and if you are from the north of Spain, the paella even does not have yellow color because they don’t use saffron.

“When I came to the Philippines, the difference is the hard-boiled egg and chorizo de Bilbao, and the big amount of toppings, like seafood, chicken, etc.”

 

I searched the net for some Seafood Paella recipes that you can try one Friday this Lent.  It actually isn't as difficult as it seems.  Try a recipe first before concluding that it's only for seasoned chefs.

 

 

Seafood Paella from Just Easy Recipes

 

Classic Seafood Paella from Fine Cooking

 

Seafood Paella by Home Cooking About.com

 

A Sensational Seafood Paella Shared by Norma Chikiamco

 

 

If you're not up to cooking your own Paella but are still craving for one, you can just head to Spanish restaurants in your area. In Manila, you can go to Casa Armas, Alba's, Las Paella's, Las Flores, Pio's Kitchen and other restaurants that feature spanish cuisine.

 

Que se diviertan comiendo!