Seafood paella!!!

Last night I decided I wanted to try out a new Pinterest recipe. I've made paella once or twice before using the first Pinterest recipe below and it turned out good! But my husband requested some mussels, so I found several Pinterest paella recipes and sort of combined them and did my own thing - and it turned out great!!!

It was super easy to make and took less than an hour from start to finish (actually eating). I also just used a cast iron dish that I already had and didn't have to use a special paella dish.

Here are the two main Pinterest recipes I used, combined, and added to:

http://www.themediterraneandish.com/easy-seafood-paella-recipe/
This is the recipe I used a few times already - it was super quick and easy!

http://www.halfbakedharvest.com/skillet-grilled-seafood-and-chorizo-paella/
I picked a few things from this recipe to add to the other one!

Some changes I made:

Now, I don't eat pork, so I took out the chorizo... but I did use the idea of pouring the lobster water over the rice. I also decided to add a little Adobo seasoning, garlic powder, and onion powder. I went to Trader Joe's a few days ago and got some fresh English green peas so I decided to use those instead of the green beans.  I added some chopped red pepper and used shadow benny instead of the parsley/cilantro because I just didn't have any. Shadow Benny is used in the Caribbean and is in the same family as parsley and cilantro. Shadow Benny has a bit of a stronger taste like cilantro does.
My husband went to the weekend flea/farmer's market on Beach Blvd. and found the Shadow Benny there (for those of you interested in finding some fresh Caribbean/Asian/Hispanic fruits and veggies!).



I also chose to quickly marinate my seafood before adding it to the paella with some salt, pepper, and old bay seasoning which didn't seem to be a part of either of the recipes above.

And that's it! It was fabulous and I strongly recommend making it as a quick family meal!  Also, as a side note, I try to make a point of making sure my 2 year old eats whatever it is I cook for the day and try my best not to make something different just for her.  She loved the paella and I just cut the shrimp into little pieces and put them over the rice for her!

Paella before adding the seafood to it

After arranging the seafood and gently pressing it into the rice.  Cover it and allow the seafood to steam until the shrimp turns pink.

This is what the Beach Blvd. Flea Market looks like!