#TasteofThursday BOULEVARD PAELLA recipe courtesy Chef Alex Chen

 

BOULEVARD PAELLA

 

Yields 4 servings

PAELLA STOCK

Ingredients:

1 L Lobster Stock

500 mL Clam or Mussel Stock

1.2 L Chicken Stock

Method:

Combine all ingredients in a large stockpot. Set aside. Note: yields more than you will need for the paella recipe.

CHORIZO SOFFRITO

Ingredients:

6 medium Onions, minced

3 tbsp Garlic, minced

2 cups Spanish Chorizo, diced

2 cups Piquillo Peppers, diced

8 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 tsp Smoked Paprika

½ tsp Salt

3 cups Mussel Juice

3 tbsp Sherry Vinegar

Method:

1. Sweat onions, garlic, and chorizo in olive oil until soft, about 10 minutes on medium low heat.
2. Add paprika and piquillo peppers. Cook for an additional 5 minutes.
3. Add mussel juice and cook for 1 hour on low heat.
4. Add sherry vinegar and adjust seasoning as needed.

PAELLA

4 Prawns

4 Scallops

3 x 3oz pieces Lingcod

12 Mussels

12 Clams

400g Bomba Spanish Rice

6 tbsp Fennel, cut brunoise

3 sprigs Thyme

Small pinch Saffron

4 tbsp Tomato concassé (peeled, seeded and diced)

6 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

4 cups Paella Stock (recipe above)

1 cup White Wine

2 Bay Leaves

1/4 zest of an Orange

½ juice of an Orange

½ juice of a Lemon

3 tbsp Parsley, finely julienned

Salt and Black Pepper to taste

Method:

1. Heat olive oil in a sauté pan and lightly sauté chorizo soffrito.
2. In a paella pan, toast rice on medium heat for 1 minute.
3. Stir in chorizo soffrito and tomato concassé.
4. Add white wine and cook until fully evaporated.
5. Add saffron, orange zest and orange juice, fennel, bay leaves and thyme.
6. Add paella stock and slowly stir until 2/3 of the liquid remains, then stop stirring.
7. Turn the heat down to low, and adjust seasoning as needed.
8. Season lingcod, scallop and prawns. Heat olive oil in a separate sauté pan and pan roast (about 2 minutes on each side for the lingcod, 1 minute on each side for the scallop, and 35 seconds on each side for the prawn).
9. Arrange mussels, clams, lingcod, scallops and prawns onto rice. Cook until liquid is full evaporated. You will hear the rice start to “pop” and form a crust on the paella pan.
10. Finish with drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, and garnish with parsley sprigs.

Alex Chen, Executive Chef, Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar
Twitter: @blvdyvr @ChefAlexChen
Instagram: @blvdyvr
Facebook: /blvdyvr  /chefalexchen
Website: boulevardvancouver.com

Alex Chen’s culinary vision is an inspired recipe of family tradition and classical technique and training, combined with creative hints of international influences. From his childhood roots in Malaysia to his time in both Vancouver and California, the Pacific Rim and West Coast regions have helped form the basis for Alex’s innovative signature style, as well as his love for seafood. So, too, has his emphasis on sourcing the best fresh, local and in-season ingredients.

Alex joined Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar as Executive Chef after charting a top-10 finish representing Canada at the prestigious Bocuse d’Or culinary competition in Lyon, France in 2013. Before spending six years as the Executive Chef of the legendary Polo Lounge at the Beverly Hills Hotel, Alex apprenticed at Vancouver’s Wedgewood Hotel, and held the roles of Senior Sous Chef at the Four Seasons Hotel Chicago and Chef de Cuisine at the Four Seasons Hotel Toronto.