January 16, 2025

One Pan Salmon Paella

posted by Julie in Fish & Shellfish, Gluten Free, Main Dishes, Mediterranean, Recipes
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Make weeknight dinners feel special with this easy Salmon Paella recipe. Paella is the ultimate one-pan wonder, and this salmon version gives the classic dish a hearty, flavorful twist. With layers of flavor from saffron, smoked paprika, and juicy chunks of salmon, this dish is as beautiful as it is delicious.

overhead view of a pan of salmon paella with vegetables and shellfish.

When you think of paella, you might imagine a big pan brimming with golden rice, seafood, and smoky aromas wafting through the air. It’s the kind of dish that feels like you save it for something special. But here’s the thing – paella doesn’t have to be complicated or require extensive ingredients. This Salmon Paella brings all the vibrant flavors of the traditional Spanish dish to your table in a way that both approachable and easy to make at home.

Paella is a Spanish dish from Valencia, typically made with rice, saffron, and various proteins and vegetables. Traditional versions often include seafood, chicken, or rabbit. The star of the dish is the golden rice with crispy edges, cooked in a wide, shallow pan.

First, let’s clear the air here.  This Salmon Paella is not traditional, authentic paella. I have had amazing, authentic paella in Spain. I’ve also had an amazing opportunity to cook authentic paella side-by-side with Iron Chef Jose Garces in his kitchen at Volver.

This salmon paella is delicious but in a different way.  It’s easy.  It’s made with ingredients that you can find.  There’s no need to import any specialty ingredients.  You don’t need a top-notch fishmonger to provide you with the freshest shellfish. This is a weeknight, easy-to-find ingredient, paella.  But did I mention it’s still delicious?

Why You’ll Love This Salmon Paella Recipe

  • One-Pan Meal: Everything cooks in one pan, making cleanup a breeze.
  • Customizable: Add your favorite veggies, experiment with different shellfish (or just the salmon), or adjust the spices to suit your taste.
  • Impressive Yet Simple: It looks fancy enough for guests but is straightforward enough for a weeknight dinner.
  • Golden, Crispy Rice: The socarrat (crispy bottom layer) adds a delicious, authentic texture.
  • No Special Equipment Needed: Works with any large, shallow skillet if you don’t have a paella pan.
bowl of salmon paella.

Ingredients and Substitutions

  • Olive Oil: You can substitute avocado oil in a pinch, but olive oil adds the best flavor.
  • Onion
  • Garlic: Fresh garlic provides the best flavor, but frozen minced garlic will work in a pinch (avoid the jarred garlic if possible!)
  • Smoked Paprika: Regular paprika is fine, but smoked paprika brings a smoky, earthy flavor that pairs well with paella.
  • Saffron Threads: The quintessential ingredient for authentic paella. You don’t need to include it (it’s pricey!), but if you can get your hands on a few threads, I highly recommend it!
  • Turmeric
  • Red Pepper Flakes
  • Crushed Tomatoes: Canned tomatoes keep this recipe quick and easy!
  • Chicken Stock: Swap for vegetable stock to keep it pescatarian.
  • Salmon: Choose skinless fillets. Frozen salmon works if thawed properly.
  • Shellfish: Use fresh or frozen shellfish, in or out of the shell, if you enjoy shellfish. Shrimp, mussels, and clams all work well.
  • Bell Pepper
  • Green Beans: Fresh green beans are my favorite, but frozen peas work as well.
  • Rice: Use medium or short-grain white rice. Avoid long-grain rice, as it won’t absorb liquid the same way.
overhead view of ingredients used to make salmon paella.

Easy Paella Recipe

I don’t own a paella pan, so I make mine in a cast iron pan. Any wide, shallow pan will work – we want a lot of surface area for the rice! We’ll start with sofrito, the flavor base that is part of all paellas. It’s just chopped vegetables cooked in oil. I like to use garlic and onions. Some people add tomatoes and peppers in the beginning, but I prefer to toast the rice first.

I always add my vegetables early so they absorb all the flavors – soft, melty, spiced vegetables are how I’ve enjoyed paella in Spain. But if you prefer slightly crispier vegetables, wait until you add the salmon to scatter the vegetables on top (the green beans will also stay brighter green this way). But however you prefer the vegetables, don’t stir once you add the rice! The bottom layer will get nice and crispy and create a crust, called socarrat, which is my favorite part of the paella.

spoon scooping out shrimp from a large pot of salmon paella.

How to Make Salmon Paella

  1. Prep Your Ingredients: Chop your onions, garlic, and bell peppers ahead of time. Cut the salmon into chunks for even cooking and toss with smoked paprika and salt.
chopped raw salmon tossed with smoke paprka.
  1. Sauté the Aromatics: Heat olive oil in a large, shallow skillet. Cook the onions until translucent, then stir in garlic. Add the rice to the pan to gently toast it.
onions and garlic cooking in a pan.
  1. Build the Base: Add the crushed tomatoes, saffron threads, smoked paprika, turmeric, red pepper flakes, and salt. Stir in the red pepper and green beans.
vegetables, crushed tomatoes, and rice mixed together in a pan.
  1. Add the Stock: Pour in the chicken or vegetable stock and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover the pan and cook for 10 minutes, then uncover and cook for 10 more minutes. Resist the urge to stir—paella needs that crispy layer of rice on the bottom!
pouring stock into homemade paella.
  1. Cook the Salmon: Nestle salmon pieces into the rice and cook for 5 minutes, uncovered.
salmon pieces sitting on top of homemde paella.
  1. Add the Shellfish: Turn the head up to medium-high, add the shellfish (if using), cover the pan to steam open the shellfish, and cook until the salmon is cooked through and the shells open.
mussels and shrimp added to a pan of paella.
  1. Finish and Serve: Once the rice is cooked and the liquid is absorbed, remove the pan from heat. Let it rest for 5 minutes and garnish with chopped parsley and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.
freshly made salmon paella with green beans and crispy rice.

Perfect Paella Rice

One of the hardest habits to break when making paella is the instinct to stir the rice. In many recipes, like risotto, stirring is essential to release starches and create a creamy texture. But with paella, stirring does more harm than good. Here’s why: stirring releases too much starch, which can make the rice clump together rather than stay separate as it should in paella.

Stirring also disrupts the formation of socarrat—the crispy layer at the bottom of the pan. This layer needs undisturbed contact with the pan to toast properly. Once the liquid is added, it’s time to step back and let the rice cook untouched. Trust the process! To ensure even cooking without stirring, rotate the pan occasionally over the heat source so all areas get consistent exposure.

And speaking of socarrat, how does it form, anyway? It’s time for my favorite subject… kitchen chemistry!

Kitchen Chemistry

Socarrat, the crispy layer of rice at the bottom of paella, forms thanks to the Maillard reaction, a chemical process where proteins and sugars react under heat to create new flavor compounds and browning. Achieving the perfect socarrat requires even heat distribution across the pan, which is why paella pans are wide and shallow, maximizing the surface area for the rice.

As the liquid cooks off, the rice begins to toast in the oil at the bottom of the pan. You’ll know it’s forming when you hear a faint crackling sound near the end of the cooking time.

small bowl of paella next to a larger serving bowl.

Tips and Tricks for the Best Salmon Paella

  1. Don’t Wash the Rice: If you cook rice frequently, you may be used to rinsing it first. For paella, we want to keep the outer layer of starch on the rice!
  2. Choose a Wide, Shallow Pan: If you don’t have a traditional paella pan, any large skillet with a flat base, like a cast iron skillet, will work.
  3. Don’t Stir: After adding the stock, let the rice cook undisturbed without stirring.
  4. Rotate the Pan: If your heat source isn’t evenly distributed, occasionally rotate the pan to prevent hot spots and ensure the rice cooks evenly.
  5. Thaw Fish First: If you are using frozen fish or shellfish, properly thaw everything overnight in the refrigerator before adding it to the paella.
  6. Let it Rest: Once the paella is done, let it sit off the heat, covered, for 5 minutes. This resting period allows the flavors to meld and the socarrat to set fully before serving.

More Weeknight Dinners

easy homemade paella made with salmon in a cast iron pan.

Salmon Paella

Yield: Serves 4-6
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 55 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour

Paella is the ultimate one-pan wonder, and this salmon version gives the classic dish a hearty, flavorful twist. 

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 4 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 1/2 cups medium-grain rice (I like Goya brand, but any medium grain rice works)
  • 1 (14.5 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 red bell pepper, chopped
  • 6 ounces green beans, ends trimmed
  • 1 large pinch saffron threads (optional)
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons smoked paprika, divided
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus extra for salmon
  • 2 1/4 cup chicken or vegetable broth, divided
  • 1 pound wild-caught salmon, cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 1/2 pound fresh or frozen shellfish, thawed if frozen
  • fresh parsley and lemon wedges, for serving

Instructions

  1. Toss the salmon with 1/2 tablespoon of smoked paprika, a big pinch of salt, and freshly ground pepper. Set aside.
  2. Heat the olive oil in a large cast iron skillet or other wide, flat pan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and stir for another 3-4 minutes, until the onions start to darken.  Add the rice to the skillet and toast over medium-high heat for several minutes, stirring frequently.
  3. Add the crushed tomatoes to the pan, along with the remaining smoked paprika (1 tablespoon), saffron threads (if using), turmeric, red pepper flakes, and salt. Stir well to combine, then stir in the red pepper and green beans.
  4. Pour in the stock, turn the heat up to high, and bring the liquid to a boil for 2 minutes, then reduce the heat to low. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and cook for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, remove the aluminum foil and cook uncovered, adding additional broth if the rice dries out, 1/4 cup at a time. Do not stir or disturb the rice! If your heat source is uneven, rotate the pan on the burner every few minutes to ensure the bottom layer of rice cooks evenly.
  5. Nestle the pieces of salmon into the rice and cook for 5 minutes, uncovered. Place the shellfish on top of the rice, and cover with the aluminum foil. Cook for 5 minutes, until the salmon is cooked through and flakes with a fork and the bivalve shells have steamed open. Remove from the heat and let the paella sit, still covered, for 5 additional minutes. Garnish with chopped parsley and a squeeze of lemon juice and serve hot.

Notes

  1. If you don't have a paella pan, choose any wide, shallow pan or skillet - we don't want the layer of rice to be too thick, or it will retain too much moisture and the thick crust won't develop on the bottom.
  2. Don't stir the rice after adding the stock.
  3. Occasionally rotate the pan while cooking to prevent hot spots on the bottom.
  4. Either fresh or frozen fish and shellfish can be used. If using frozen, thaw fully in the refrigerator overnight.
  5. Let the paella rest, covered, for 5 minutes after cooking to allow the flavors to meld and the socarrat to set.
  6. Store leftovers in the refrigerator and eat within 2 days. Leftovers can be reheated in the skillet over medium-low until warmed through; add a few tablespoons of water if the rice dries out too much while reheating.

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© Julie (Bunsen Burner Bakery)
Cuisine: Spanish / Category: Main Dishes
Make weeknight dinners feel special with this easy Salmon Paella recipe. Smoky, savory, and loaded with vibrant flavors!

This recipe was first published in February 2017 and updated with new photos and helpful tips in January 2025.

posted in Fish & Shellfish, Gluten Free, Main Dishes, Mediterranean, Recipes
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