Paella algherese
Photo: User:Alessandrodieti · CC BY-SA 3.0

History

Paella reached Alghero through six centuries of Catalan and Aragonese rule, and the town kept it when the rest of Sardinia did not. The Algherese version leans hard on the sea, taking in whatever the port lands rather than the rabbit and beans of the Valencian original, and it is treated as a shared centrepiece booked in advance rather than a dish you order for one. La Pergola at Maria Pia has built its reputation on it since 1976 and holds a string of Italian guide listings for it. Alamo in the old town works a 21-ingredient version in the same tradition.

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Common allergens: Crustaceans, Molluscs, Fish

Make it at home

Yield Serves 4Hands-on 40 minTotal 1 hr 15 minDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • 320g bomba or arborio rice
  • 1 litre fish stock
  • 400g mixed white fish, cut into chunks
  • 200g prawns
  • 300g clams, purged
  • 300g mussels, scrubbed
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 2 ripe tomatoes, grated
  • 1 red pepper, sliced
  • 0.5g saffron threads
  • 80ml extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
  • Sea salt

Method

  1. Open the clams and mussels in a covered pan over high heat with a splash of water, then strain and keep the liquor.
  2. Warm the saffron in a little of the hot stock and leave it to infuse.
  3. Heat the oil in a wide shallow pan, colour the prawns for a minute a side and set them aside.
  4. Soften the onion, garlic and pepper in the same oil for 8 minutes, then add the grated tomato and the paprika and cook until it darkens.
  5. Stir in the rice and coat it for 2 minutes, then pour in the hot stock, the saffron infusion and the shellfish liquor.
  6. Add the fish chunks, season, and cook without stirring for 18 minutes over a steady medium heat.
  7. Lay the prawns, clams and mussels on top for the last 5 minutes, then rest the pan off the heat for 5 minutes before serving.

Tip from the editors. Stop adding liquid after the first pour. Paella is not risotto, and stirring it late is what turns the base to mush.

Where to eat paella algherese

Paella algherese in Alghero

La Pergola ★ 4.1

€€ CatalanMaria Pia

The 300-seat La Pergola in Alghero is where the Catalan and Sardinian sides of the paella tradition meet, with celiac-safe plates on request.

Directions

Alamo ★ 4.4

€€ CatalanCentro Storico

Francesco and his family have run Alamo in Alghero since 2012, and linguine with scampi, bottarga and lemon zest is the plate to order first.

Why locals goFrancesco and his family cook a 21-ingredient paella in a lane most visitors walk past on the way to the bastions.

Directions

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