Ingredients

  • 4 cloves garlic, peeled
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
  • *2 egg yolks
  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest
  • 3/4 cup olive oil
  • Freshly ground white pepper
  • 4 plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1/2 cup olive oil, divided
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 10 cups chicken stock, divided
  • Large pinch saffron
  • 12 littleneck clams, scrubbed
  • 1 (2 1/2-pound) whole chicken, cut in 8 pieces or 4 legs and 4 thighs (dark meat)
  • 1/2 pound chorizo, cut into 1/2-inch thick slices
  • 1/4 large onion, chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 2 cups Arborio (paella) rice
  • 12 mussels, debearded and scrubbed
  • 8 large shrimp, peeled and deveined, with tail on
  • 8 baby octopus
  • 4 baby squid, cleaned and sliced into rings, tentacles reserved, and/or 8 ounces cuttlefish pieces
  • 1 cup fresh or frozen peas
  • 2 cooked lobsters (1 1/2 pounds each), tails in the shell, split lengthwise, claw meat in the shell or out, as desired
  • Freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves, for garnish
  • 1/2 cup Lemon Aioli

Method

  • Place the garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, egg yolks, lemon juice and zest in a food processor or blender and process until smooth.
  • Slowly add the oil, drop by drop at first, until thickened.
  • Season with salt and white pepper, to taste.
  • Refrigerate until ready to use.
  • For the paella:
  • Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Place the tomatoes in a small baking dish and drizzle with the honey, 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, and salt and pepper, and roast until soft.
  • Set aside.
  • Bring the chicken stock to a simmer in a medium saucepan and add a large pinch of saffron.
  • Put about 1/2 cup of the stock in another saucepan, add the clams, and bring to a simmer.
  • Cover and cook just until the clams open; remove the clams from the liquid and set aside, reserving the liquid.
  • Heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a very large skillet or paella pan over medium-high heat.
  • Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper and add to the heated pan.
  • Cook until browned on all sides.
  • Remove the chicken pieces to a plate.
  • Add the chorizo, onion and garlic and saute until chorizo has browned and the onions are translucent.
  • Add the rice, about 7 1/2 cups of the chicken stock, the reserved clam liquid, and any juices from the chicken and bring to a simmer.
  • Nestle the chicken in the rice and let cook, uncovered, until the rice is quite al dente, about 15 minutes.
  • Adjust the heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer-the rice on the bottom of the pan should form a dark brown crispy crust by the end of the cooking time.
  • If the stock is disappearing too quickly, just add a bit more of the remaining 2 cups.
  • Add the mussels, shrimp, octopus, squid, and/or cuttlefish, and peas.
  • Cook until the shrimp are pink and the mussels open.
  • Add the lobster, clams and roasted tomatoes and heat briefly.
  • At this point, you should still be able to see liquid bubbling gently; it will settle when you turn off the heat.
  • Fold in the parsley and lemon aioli and mix until combined, season with salt and pepper, to taste.
  • *RAW EGG WARNING
  • Food Network Kitchens suggest caution in consuming raw and lightly-cooked eggs.
  • Due to the slight risk of Salmonella or other food-borne illness.
  • To reduce this risk, we recommend you use only fresh, properly-refrigerated, clean, grade A or AA eggs with intact shells, and avoid contact between the yolks or whites and the shell.