Lobster Seafood Paella

A delicious feast of lobster, scallops, shrimp, mussels, and chorizo big enough to feed a crowd, yet simple enough for just one dish! Lobster seafood paella is a great meal for outdoor gatherings, summer cookouts, and holiday celebrations.

Course Seafood

Cuisine Spanish

Keyword lobster paella, one pan seafood dishes, seafood and rice, seafood for a crowd, seafood paella

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 40

Total Time 1 10

Servings servings

Calories 589kcal

Author Lauren

Ingredients

1 to 1 ½ pounds lobster meat about 3 each 1 ¼-pound lobsters
1 pound large shrimp peeled and deveined
1 pound sea scallops
1 pound mussels
½ pound chorizo diced
½ cup hot water
½ teaspoon saffron
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion diced
1 rib celery diced
3 cloves garlic minced
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 cup lobster broth or substitute seafood stock
3 cups rice
4 to 5 cups chicken or vegetable stock
½ cup white wine
1 bay leaf
½ teaspoon paprika
1 can diced tomatoes 14.5-ounce can
½ cup frozen peas
fresh chopped parsley for garnish optional

Instructions

Cook the lobsters. Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil over high heat. Leave at least two inches from the top to avoid boiling over. Add each lobster to the boiling water head first.
Optional: You can freeze the lobsters for 10 to 15 minutes before boiling to limit the amount of kicking.
Cover the pot and return to a boil. Stir the lobsters halfway through cooking. Cooking times will vary depending on size, about 10 minutes for 1.25-pound lobsters to 15 minutes for 2-pounders. Save 1 cup of water from the pan for the seafood paella.
Prep the lobster meat. Let the lobsters cool until able to handle. Remove the meat from the tail, claws, knuckles, and legs. Give the claw and tail meat a rough chop or leave some whole for presentation on the finished dish.
Prep the saffron. In a small bowl combine hot water and saffron. Set aside to steep.
Sauté the veggies. Heat the oil over high heat in a large deep-sided, heavy bottom pan or a dutch oven. When the oil shimmers add the onion and celery. Season with salt and pepper, cooking about 2 to 3 minutes until translucent. Reduce the heat to medium-high and add the garlic, continuing to cook for about 1 minute. Remove the veggies from the pan, leave any leftover oil in the pan.
Cook the scallops. Return the pan to the heat and sear the scallops 2 minutes on each side until browned. Add the chorizo and cook for about 2 minutes. Optional: Remove the scallops to a plate to avoid overcooking. Deglaze the pan with white wine, scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon or spatula.
Cook the rice. Stir the rice into the wine and chorizo allowing it to soak up any liquid in the pan. Cover with the lobster broth and enough chicken (or vegetable stock) to reach about 1 inch over the rice, about 4 and ½ cups. Stir in the sautéed vegetables, bay leaf, paprika, and diced tomatoes including any juices. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Partially cover with a lid and cook for 15 to 20 minutes. Add more chicken stock and reduce heat if the liquid is absorbing too quickly.
Cook the seafood. About 7 or 8 minutes before the rice is done (there should still be about ¼ inch of liquid in the pan) stir in the saffron water and add the mussels and shrimp to cook. After the shrimp has turned pink and the mussels are open add the scallops and any juices on the plate, the cooked lobster, and frozen peas to the rice to heat. Optional: Garnish with fresh chopped parsley.

Notes

Cooking the lobsters the day before will save you a ton of time and is my favorite method for making this paella. Remember to save 1 cup of the lobster broth water to add to the paella.
You can also buy frozen or fresh lobster meat out of the shell. If using frozen lobster meat, I like to sauté it with a little butter to add some moisture and flavor.

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