There is no easier way to prepare this air-fried cod! A piping hot fish fillet that is both crispy and flaky is the end result of starting with frozen cod fillets that have been dipped in an egg wash and ranch-seasoned panko.
| Prep Time: | 15 mins |
| Cook Time: | 55 mins |
| Total Time: | 1 hr 10 mins |
| Servings: | 6 |
| Yield: | 6 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 pound jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined, shells reserved
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon saffron threads, or more to taste
- 2 ¼ cups chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 8 ounces chorizo sausage, sliced into thin rounds
- ½ yellow onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 ⅓ cups Arborio rice
- ½ cup green peas
- 1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
- salt to taste
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper, or more to taste
Instructions
- Cook and stir reserved shrimp shells and 2 teaspoons olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat until shells are pink and fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir saffron into shells; add chicken broth, bring to a simmer, and cook until broth is a rusty brown and fragrant, about 20 minutes.
- Strain saffron broth through a fine-mesh sieve; measure out 2 cups of broth, pour into a small saucepan, and place over low heat to keep broth hot.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large, oven-proof skillet over medium heat. Cook chorizo slices in hot oil until browned, about 2 minutes per side. Add onion to sausage; cook and stir until soft and slightly translucent, about 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low.
- Stir garlic into chorizo mixture; cook and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add rice to skillet and stir to coat rice completely in oil; stir in peas.
- Pat rice mixture evenly into the bottom of the skillet. Arrange shrimp in a single layer over the top of the rice. Lay pepper strips around and in between shrimp; season with salt, paprika, and cayenne pepper.
- Increase heat to high. When rice begins to sizzle in the skillet, pour reserved 2 cups hot saffron broth over the shrimp; gently shake the skillet to distribute liquid.
- Bake rice mixture in the preheated oven until rice is almost tender and still a bit wet, about 20 minutes.
- Place skillet over medium-high and cook until rice is tender, liquid is absorbed, and rice caramelizes and crusts slightly on the bottom of the skillet, 3 to 5 minutes.
- You can substitute smoked paprika for paprika, chicken broth for saffron broth, and any smoky, spicy sausage for chorizo.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 476 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 47 g |
| Cholesterol | 150 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Protein | 26 g |
| Saturated Fat | 6 g |
| Sodium | 975 mg |
| Sugars | 3 g |
| Fat | 19 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
I added Half a cup more broth due to the type of rice I had.
I have made this several times now and it’s great. I usually add a few of whatever I have around-pablano, green onions, whatever.. The shrimp broth, saffron and smoked paprika are essential! ALL HAIL CHEF JOHN!!!
Easy starter paella. I used several substitute ingredients due to insufficient planning. Spanish chorizo was substituted with Mild Italian Sausage and I lacked Saffron (gasp!).
This was an easy and fun recipe to make! I mostly followed the recipe – just added a bit more than a pinch of cayenne and used ground chorizo. It was excellent!
I made this recipe according to the instructions. I used uncooked Chorizo, not cured. You could substitute Italian sausage and it would taste great. I used Iberia short-grain Valencia rice, you can use any short grain rice, Bomba rice, or Goya CA Pearl Rice and get the desired texture. Arborio rice should be used only if you cannot find any of the Valencia rices. I added a chicken breast, cut up into pieces and cooked with the sausage at the beginning. Using the shrimp shells to flavor the chicken broth gives a lot of flavor to the dish. Don’t skip this step! I used Ancho Chili powder and cracked black pepper to season the broth. I don’t usually add salt unless it’s needed. But I would recommend adding salt at the end of cooking, since the sauce will reduce and it can end up too salty. I sprinkled sweet paprika on the top of the dish at the end of cooking. It was very, very good. But I am not convinced that it needed to be cooked in the oven. I think it could be prepared on the stovetop and it will come out fine. I will try that next time to see if there is any difference in the texture. If you are using Arborio rice, then oven baking may prevent it from becoming too creamy like a risotto. But this was definitely a flavorful dish!
Used green bell pepper and andouille.
I never had any experience with Paella so I was a little worried, but this came out fantastic! I followed everything except added clams and smoked sausage (since it had lower sodium then chorizo). My husband ate it all up and asked me to make it again! Thank you Chef John! Love all your recipes so far!
I followed the recipe in every way but I did add some sazón and olives (a Puerto Rican rice staple for my family). I’m also not eating red meat right now so I did soyrizo. I saw a few recipes that the rice did not cook properly and the shrimp were over cooked but my dish was perfect. I used a cast iron and the stove top part at the end made a nice crispy crust on the bottom. I only had medium shrimp and they were cooked to perfection (I also marinated the shrimp prior with lime juice, salt, pepper and garlic). I never leave reviews but it was a huge hit with my family and an easy first paella recipe. Will definitely be making again!
I made this recipe exactly as written and it was wonderful. I’ll make it again.
Delish!!!
Don’t be intimidated! This easy recipe is well-worth obtaining real saffron, and local prawns, too, if you’re on the West Coast! This really will start you on a paella addiction!
This is the 1st recipe of Chef John that I won’t make a second time. Husband says it is OKAY but I think it lacks flavor.I wish I had used fish broth instead of chicken broth. Most of his recipes are great, like beef rib. I hope other people have better results than I.
This was excellent, Chef John made it easy to follow and we loved it.
I made some adjustments, and added more seafood. For this being my first time making paella, it was easy to follow and flavor was awesome. I cut in half the amount of rice and replaced it with cauliflower rice.!!!!
Skipped the sausage so it would be meatless–and it was excellent!
Can’t wait for Chef John to take me from this ‘training wheels’ recipe to a two-wheeler. (Have to watch video to understand the context here.)
Delicious! I took the suggestion of not putting the shrimp in the oven until the last five minutes of baking. I did not want to over cook the shrimp and they turned out perfectly. The seasoning was great. I was very shocked to find out how expensive saffron straws were! Definitely making this again!
Excellent. I studied abroad in Spain 15 years ago, and the flavors brought me back. I’d made “simple” paellas before, this was so much better. It is definitely a winner for the average home cook. Chef John’s video and directions are easy to follow. Make sure to squeeze lots of fresh lemon over the top—this is what puts it from good to great. I’m looking forward to branching out from here and adding more seafood next time!
We love this recipe
Added some mussels for charm
Love Chef John easy to follow and recipes are always a hit with the family .. Delicious fantastic turned out wonderful