I Never Had REAL PAELLA Before... (Valencia, Spain)

[@Joseju]

OMG I'm so glad you got to experience an authentic paella. It's one of the best dishes we have. Good socarrat (the glazed starch at the bottom of the pan) is to die for. You might already know this, but most Valencians will tell you that real paella has no seafood in it, which is true. The most traditional form of paella has chicken, rabbit, green beans, a local bean called garrofó and sometimes artichokes. It has a different flavor profile but it's just as good if not better. While I'm no purist, I would encourage you to try the original paella recipe, because it's a perfect harmony of flavors and I'm sure you'd like it. Love your videos! Cheers!

[@alejandromora4971]

Joseju my beloved

[@Cuin92]

hombre joseju como usted por aqui xD

[@pepelaugh7]

Que grande eres joseju no me esperaba encontrarte aquí

[@danelvegas6674]

¿donde caemos, gente?

[@alvaromontes3314]

@@danelvegas6674 En la terreta al parecer

[@maxgomez4233]

As a fellow Spaniard, THANK YOU. I've seen countless videos of people thinking they know how to make paella but it's so complex and hard to master. My grandma used to make it every Sunday for the whole family, and this dish is as special to me as the Bourguignon is to you. It just takes me right back to my childhood.

[@mateo2202]

ya ve

[@scothunter3221]

My stepdaughter lives in Valencia, and while visiting her, she took me for some “real“ paella. It really was as amazing as you described. I hope you will follow this video up with your experiments on how to prepare it yourself. I would love to learn that.

[@Jimjolnir]

I can't wait!

[@TheJacklwilliams]

My god me too. My heart was seated at that table. I could smell it. Now, cmon Alex, LET”S MAKE SOME PAELLA!!! I think, for me, my first effort is going to be focus on the rice, broth and spices with a couple one fish and one shellfish as the meat…

[@Skiskiski]

I KNOW PROFESSOR VALENCIA FROM AMERICA!

[@karlpetrosian8206]

If you want to cook real paella you need to have the metal pan like the ones shown in the video, if your stepdaughers lives in Valencia maybe she can send to you ones, also you can cook paella in fire or with a special stove for make paella with gas (it cost about 20-50€ deppendin on the diameter), also are easy to find in Valencia. Ingridients for 6: 1800 ml of water , 600 gr rice (it dippends how much you it), 150 ml oil, half rabbit, half chicken, 100gr Garrofó/white big bean and 200gr bajoqueta/ flat green beans(2 vegetables from Valencia), 1 midium tomato, garlic, saffron, and if you want you can put architrockes and snails, rosmary, 2 spons of non hot paprika . Steps: 1- grate tomato with 1-2 garlics (deppending on size), if tomato is so acid but a small spon of sugar. 2- cut in pieces the rabbit, the half chiquen (and salt them), also cut the bajoqueta cutting and discarding the top and the end, and the rest cut them in pieces but with the hands. (if the garrofón is dry hydrateate them about 1 day before). If architrokes are used, cut them in 4 equal pieces discarding leaf, etc. 3 - Put the oil in the pan, if the pan starts to get dark with the fire you can put salt in the pan Fry the rabbit and the chiken with a high fire till they are very fried but not burned, that's very important because that will give the flavour to paella, if you don't fry enought the meat it would' have the real taste. 4- put the fire in the middle of the pan and retirate the meat when is totally fried to the border of the pan, after that add the vegatables and fry them about 3-4 minutes (salt them), after that mix them with the meat and add the non hot parika (optional) and the tomato and garlik grated, fry them 1-2 minutes mixing them and be carful not to burn them. 5- Add the water, put salt to your likings but enought to have taste, and add also the saffron, after that you must make a signal to know the lvl of water, I use to use a knife to mark the pan, after that add more water 2-3 litters, and the fire to maximum till the mark, when the mark is visible add the rice distributing it to all the pan, and put down the fire to middium/low fire 14 minutes, after that maximum fire again 1-2 minutes, taking care it doesn't burn to make what we valencians call socarrat (Crusted rice), after that the rice must be cooked, if not or the point of the rice is not enought soft for you tape the all paella with cook paper and let paella rest 3-5 minutes. PD: sorry for my bad english. PD2: if you buy a Valencian pan to make paella you must know after you clean the paella after use it you must put a little of oil with a paper all over tha paella if you don't want the paella oxidates.

[@scothunter3221]

@@karlpetrosian8206 Ah, I was wise enough to purchase in Valencia and bring home a proper paella pan! And thank you very much for sharing your recipe :-)

[@Chronomatrix]

It's always sad when you hear people say they went to Spain, tried paella, and didn't like it. There's so many places serving bad paella, but the reason is simple: it takes a lot of time to do, it's hard to cook and even harder to do it well, so many restaurants do it the lazy way and sell the idea it's just rice with lots of things on top. If you are still in Spain you should try Fideuà as well.

[@trollenz]

What makes me flip out even more (as a French who married a valenciana) is when French go to Valencia, taste a REAL GOOD ONE, and say that they don't like it because it's missing a lot of "stuff" inside like peas, mussels, calamar, bell pepper, etc.

[@pedromaziluprata6712]

good fideua with proper ali oli ..yes please

[@perrymanso6841]

Fun fact: Paella and Fideuà where created in the same village; Gandia. 😁

[@teresaperez8813]

@@perrymanso6841 , patria de Alejandro Borgia, el papa .

[@perrymanso6841]

@Ralph Reilly No, It is not.

[@thespanishchef]

Hi Alex! I knew this day would come!!! And you got it, it is a very technical dish and rice just like wheat, are the most difficult ingredients to master. Please let me help you master the dish I have dedicated more time in my life than anything else I have ever done. I am sure you are going to love the experience. My book Paella will be coming out in a few months and literally I just finished writing it after 2 and a half years on the making so I have ir all fresh in my brain. All the best amigo

[@NL-Chaos]

I would love to see that collab happen looking forward to it!

[@alsetema]

I agree! please do a Collab, your paella is one of the most legit I've seen online. Period.

[@Fourside__]

Bump you :)

[@korenmoscovich4681]

Yesss collab!

[@mikesummer65]

I'm making my Paella Valenciana like in your Tapas-Book... we LOVE it!

[@ironicsara]

I've been following you for years, and honestly, this is the series i've been waiting for the most. Enjoy the paella travel and the lovely caramelized crust called 'socarrat'

[@Nara_NorthBlue]

As a Spaniard myself, this video warms my heart. A quick curiosity I don't think many will know, we tend to tease each other and sort of fight over what should or should not be in a paella, as in some people absolutely despise seafood paella, others say beans are out of the question, and whatnot. Probably because there are thousands and thousands of variants of it, with pretty much every family in the country having their own recipe to their own tastes.

[@SuperLisasaurus]

Yes, don't let a Valencian know your family doesn't do the traditional they get very upset 😉

[@Metaljunky90]

Sounds like here in certain american states with chili.

[@JeffRAllenCH]

Pineapple?

[@j.p.3345]

Yeah you can throw in there anything, EXCEPT CHORIZO

[@lucho3AM]

I am glad he's not cooking paella beacause well, we spaniards are sometimes a little too strict with our food (not mentioning what happend with Jamie Oliver's paella...)

[@MrJoaquin4037]

I have never realized how much I wanted Alex to make a series about paella until this very moment, as a valencian im so looking forward to this

Man, watching you wait all by yourself really puts a note on the social aspect of really enjoying the meals we have here, the “sobremesa” talk that starts when laying the table up to a couple hours after the desserts are finished.

[@sanserof7]

No wonder your economy sucks, you just talk and sleep all day

@@sanserof7 great contribution, let me write that down on my notebook of opinions that ain’t worth a crap.

[@yobgodababua1862]

Back in the early 2000s we were on the south coast in Nerja and walked down to the beach where a little restaurant was making Paella over open fires. As it was getting to evening, the local fishermen came in with their catch of assorted Mediterranean langostines, clams, squid, and other assorted sea-life which went pretty much straight from the boat directly into our Paella. The flavors were so clean and rich, and the rice was perfect. It is still to this day on my list of "Top Ten Things I have eaten" .

[@defeatSpace]

Coastlines are a heaven on earth.

[@ApleSkrutE]

I think I've been to that exact place you're describing. One of my strongest memories is having paella in a small restaurant on the beach in Nerja where as you said they were making massive pans of paella over big open fires.

[@Hanzi_96]

The place is called: Ayo

[@niallsmyth4068]

@@Hanzi_96 know it well, the old mans legs are wrapped in rags that he soaks in water to stop them burning

[@Kolvert]

As a native valencian I'm glad you enjoyed it. That bottom rice grains have a specific name in Valencian, it's called: "Socarrat" it translates as toasted to point of almost burning it.

[@deetow__]

I just love how respectful Alex is with every gastronomy there is. It doesn't matter where he is, he always finds a way to put it out flawlessly and actually makes me want to try everything he talks about. I am becoming a better cook since I've followed his channel. I actually love cooking and his influence and charisma always hits. I hope, as a Spaniard, to see more content from this beautiful country 😍

[@rrrrricard]

As a Valencian, I am exited to see you'll be focusing your next series on our national dish!

[@miguelalonsogarcia2475]

regional*

[@juliomaciasgonzalez6572]

@@miguelalonsogarcia2475 national.

[@JoruDtt0]

@@juliomaciasgonzalez6572 Regional* Paella is from Valencia not Spain as a whole

[@juliomaciasgonzalez6572]

@@JoruDtt0It is still part of Spain. Same with all the other Spanish national dishes

[@JoruDtt0]

@@juliomaciasgonzalez6572 Still regional though, you don’t say Calçots or Cocido Madrileño are national dishes because they aren’t

[@lhoeo]

I'm so glad that you bring Spanish food to this channel! I have Spanish roots and I always thought that this cuisine is way too much underestimated! I hope and trust you will make it shine to the right, well deserved level. I can't wait to see your paella serie, and hopefully more videos on typical dishes from Spain (what about croquetas?). Cheers, salut

[@RetoskiCat]

croquetas...🤤

[@DavisOnABike]

The most shocking thing for me was also the simplest. That is that the rice was basically in a single layer. In America the pan is filled very nearly to the rim. (My sister made it and there was an overflow pot, yes, gasp, a med saucepan, for the overflow, lol) So you get several bites without any caramelization at all. But here you get that in every single bite.

[@pepelaugh7]

the paella pan is so big because the rice is intended to be cooked in one layer to produce that caramelization or as we call it in valencian "socarrat"

[@annahernandez3690]

I am living in Valencia and swear my boyfriend’s mother paella is out of this world. Valencian people are VERY picky about their paella, and it’s true, once you try one of the good ones, all other paellas feel like a disappointment! I would recommend you try the classic “Paella Valenciana”. I prefer it to the seafood one 🤤

[@perrymanso6841]

Well, the classic one is not for everyone, since rabbit has a really peculiar taste...

[@Piquequi]

@@perrymanso6841 not taste, more texture. in fact rabbit tastes very soft compared with chicken or other meat

[@perrymanso6841]

@@Piquequi It's actually the contrary, chicken is probably the most mild taste meat that there is (unless is farm grown), while rabbits taste is far stronger. And the texture of both is almost identical, in fact, in a well cook paella, is really hard to distinguish the rabbit from the chicken just by the texture...

[@Piquequi]

@@perrymanso6841 man im form valencia and every sunday i eat paella, i can assure you, the texture from chicken to rabbit is very different plus as you said, a farm grown animal would taste stronger than normal supermarket animal but normally we buy normal rabbit and chicken cus is less expensive, and the taste is kinda similar, so the only way to differenciate them is by the sigth or the texture, not cus of stronger flavours of the meat, cus also in a a paella the meat taste almost the same cus of the ingredients you fry when cooking it and the stock you put in

[@salvaferrer4574]

Te diria que no, si tienes la experiencia de comer y cocinar rutinariamente paella, cosa habitual en los domingos y fiestas por aquí. La carne de pollo es perfectamente identificable en sabor y visualmente. En cuando al sabor te diria que el conejo es mas suave indudablemente ​@@perrymanso6841

[@JavierLunaMolina]

Glad you liked it :) Fun fact: Paella is named like that because "Paella" is the name of the pan in which it is cooked. Also, the part you beautifully described as "the stuff that is caramelised on the bottom of the pan" is called "Socarrat" in Valencian, but the rest of Spain sometimes calls it "the burnt thing" (but not in a bad way, we all love it :D)

[@Entrari]

Well, I must say that I've heard Socarrat from a lot of places in Spain. :D

[@JavierLunaMolina]

@@Entrari Oh yeah totally. I am from the south, Andalucía, and while Socarrat is slowly becoming the way we call it my family and friends all refer to it as the burn thingie that is delicious :P I mentioned it because I found funny how Alex described it beautifully while I tend to hear it just like that

[@Entrari]

@@JavierLunaMolina totally I understand what you mean. OH! From Andalucia, I travel to Jaen almost every month, It has become a tradition to make paella with my father in law the Sundays we are there. Although we don't forget the amazing gastronomy the South Part of Spain has. By far, one of my favourites places of the country

[@constantinstruckmeyer7769]

@@JavierLunaMolina so you can probably clarify this, my boss is from Denia and told me you don’t really want socarrat on marisco Paella, since the fish is a lot more delicate and it overpowers it. Do you agree?

[@gerardnll2]

@@constantinstruckmeyer7769 not at all. He may not know how to do it. For example adding sesfood right at the end. Socarrat is in all paellas specially seafood.

[@ThisIsMyFullName]

I just had dinner but this video still got me hungry. I've had Paella in Spain and I still dream about it sometimes. Those sticky crispy rice with a hit of tomato flavour together with the delicate seafood, it's a brilliant dish!

[@stdoval]

I love that the first thing Alex says getting into the restaurant is "bon dia". Thank you, I hope you enjoyed your time in our beautiful little country. Torna aviat!

[@eloysanchez7640]

Thank you Alex for bringing forwards the delicacy of the Paella. I am Spanish and feel super glad when I hear you speaking so fondly about our traditions

[@Bucciamarcia]

I went to Casa Carmela last summer, after some locals (friends of friends) recommended it. Even after 7 years living in Spain, that was on a whole different level. Happy you got to enjoy it too!

[@antonc81]

That looks amazing! One layer of grains.. each one of perfect texture, flavours and soccarrat. Every paella I’ve made or tasted has been a thin layer of rice with varying (mostly over cooked) rice. Looking forward to the next episodes.

[@Galmesgrimaltesteban]

I'm very glad you enjoyed one of our most beloved dishes and in the best way possible, straight from the real source, as it should be :D

[@gausszart8693]

I hope that he also tries Croquetas!

[@pistacho.cerrao]

A good paella is done by practicing every sunday at home with the family. It's not easy but I know Alex can master it. I'm so happy about this series! I think you should try Valencian Paella because is the most common at home and the most traditional. When we say the word paella it's the first one that comes to mind for the people in Valencia but when we want to talk about the one that you tried we call it seafood paella.

[@TheMrGoncharov]

Beautiful! This summer I visited Alicante, tried a couple of Paellas and it was amazing, authentic meal, full of taste, very filling, really a food journey. Feeling sweet nostalgia watching your video.. Thanks man!

[@jaimecanovas3929]

Hi Alex! Glad that you liked it, I am originally from Valencia and I told everyone that you have not tried a good real paella if you haven’t visited Valencian Community. Enjoy Valencia, it has so much to offer!!

[@ericday492]

Salut Alex, I am happy you went to a proper place in Valencia (where I was born and raised). Sad to see you weren't able to try the traditional paella with chicken and rabbit (and optional snails). Hopefully you will take a stab at the authentic version, because it's a delicacy. Either way, whichever version you try will most likely be great. Enjoy!

[@carolp2365]

Paella de la huerta 🙃

[@yeseniavillarreal2172]

Not Alex greeting in Spanish?! Que magnifique! 😍 Lol, can I just say that I love and appreciate how you can just take us with you to experience food. Thank you. That rice perfectly absorbed any liquid and or sauce they used. 🤤

[@eloaba57]

Im from Barcelona but i have a House on a village close by in Valencia. Basically paellas in Valenciana were traditionally made from whatever u had on the dispense, every village does It slightly differently but the important thing is that u must have fresh vegetables and don't overcook the rice. Also, the slightly sticked rice from the bottom is what all my family fights for always ;). Btw, the craving feeling of seeing paellas fly by and suffer because ur paella doesn't arrive its traditional too jajshs. LOVE this chanell, i'm excited to see you trying to replicate the Paella Valenciana!!

[@Wrulfy]

I've always wanted Alex to tackle on some Spanish gastronomy, and seeing him starting with paella means this is going to be a very interesting and entertaining challenge to see

[@SuperROFLWAFL]

Alex, I would like to express my gratitude for using the indicator in your video for how long your ads are going to run. I willingly watch every second of your videos and never skip your sponsors simply due to your consideration of your viewers time. Of course the content is fantastic as well and I enjoy every minute! Keep it up my friend!!!!

[@Mt.Trashmore]

Hell yes! I had a Paella phase a year ago after having the best Paella in my life. I managed to make a pretty great one after watching and translating a few videos in Spanish. I'm excited to see what you'll do with this!

[@HenryPiffpaff]

Do you remember what your key takeaways were?

[@kevinreardon2558]

My grandmother came from France as a WW1 bride. My mom learned from her a "Spanish Rice" dish which was very basic. I didn't find out until much, much later it was Paella. If you have 5 kids and two adults to cook for, the recipe is very simple, but it was so, so, good! I have Paella now, and it's so much better, but I still go back to that wonderful dish my mom used to cook.

[@bluesoverlord]

The caramelized rice is socarrat and is similar to many other cultures “scorched rice”. One of the most famous is tahdig, the Persian version. You should do a show comparing different cultures’ caramelized rice.

[@Entrari]

I've been a fan of your channel for long. I really appreciate that at last, someone is making justice to our paella. Thanks

[@alejandroavalos4332]

I love how cuisine it's making you travel around the world, i love it.

[@ismaeltorres7140]

Dude, I'm from Valencia and I'm really glad you had time to come, taste, and enjoy a piece of out culture! I hope you make a series about it and hey, everyone is welcome to enjoy the food, the city, and the beach anytime!

[@marcosbensadon869]

Estoy tan contento de ver Alex comer paella de verdad!!

[@Themomos63]

I love how he salutes everyone, we appreciate it so much when tourist are friendly and respectful :)

[@davidfitwe]

I've been here two times, it's great. Remember to order ahead. I hope although you didn't get to try the original dish, you do make it. The beans and rabbit are not easy to find in America.

[@dr-k1667]

A new series is born!! It looked amazing Alex. I could tell that you were blown away just from your eyes. Now let's see what you come up with!

[@RealAndySkibba]

These one-off exploration videos are fantastic. The bigger series are great but nice to see more short content too.

[@Scodiddly]

Dude… this is how every series starts.

[@RealAndySkibba]

@@Scodiddly true. I figured it would be 1 of 2 videos, we'll see.

[@Impractical_]

This video made me so unbelievably hungry. If I ever visit Valencia, I’ll have to give this restaurant a visit. I really do have to try this paella one day! Also, I recently found your channel and have been loving the style of the videos. The way you tell stories through not only words, but through video and editing is inspiring.

[@roberto2345]

@Alex you were very lucky because if it's for more persons you get less tasty part(it's not a huge difference but there's a little difference), the stuck part called soccarat THE BEST PART packed of umami.I'm happy that you tasted original paella and I'm not even Spanish(in fact I'm Italian) but it's a dish that I deeply respect (and crave for). Any how, replicating a restaurant quality paella it will not be a easy task for sure

[@awesomeosaurusrex]

I've never been more ready for your next video! So excited to see you try this!

[@stanete]

I'm sooooo happy that you're starting a series about Paella. I live in Valencia and eat paella every other Sunday (btw, yeeah Casa Carmela is the real deal).

[@ehfran5923]

Después de verte durante años... este video es un regalo. Gracias Alex!

As a spaniard i am so happy to see this video, and so glad that you went to Valencia to eat an authentic paella. There are so many tourist coming to Madrid, and eating shitty paellas here, having a really bad experience of our gastronomic culture. Thank you for your videos Alex.

[@alejandromiranda3045]

Wow this video came right in time. I’m getting a paella(cooking pan and heat source) for Christmas and this will be amazing

[@raphael9485]

After this Paella series, you could do a Portuguese dish Alex, there are so many good ones to choose from

[@Getpojke]

I just posted before reading this that he should get & try a cataplana. I have a nice old tin lined copper one & manage to cook beautiful seafood in it.

[@andregon4366]

@@Getpojke Or chanfana. Proper Chanfana is made in black clay pots. Which is pretty much Stone Age technology.

[@Getpojke]

@@andregon4366 Hadn't heard of Chanfana so looked it up. Sounds like my kind of food. Have some earthenware cooking pots which should allow me to give it a go. Many thanks for the suggestion.

[@trollenz]

@@andregon4366 never heard about it, looked it up, next goal in life is to eat one 🤣🤣 thanks

[@alfredog3438]

You went to my favourite restaurant for paella. So glad that you liked it!

[@alowishus792]

I can't wait for your series on this

[@meltedsandwich6716]

Your cooking journey is helping me to want to improve my cooking overall I wish you safe travels and hope you enjoy Spain

[@albabc8191]

so glad you got to try authentic paella! for me the traditional one is the best, maybe because it reminds me of my childhood, my uncle used to cook paella for all the family every sunday and that's the best paella i've ever had. but i gotta say you also need to try other valencian rice dishes, like 'arròs del senyoret' 'arros a banda' o 'arròs negre'. Alicante is the best place for that in my opinion, so yeah, i recommend you try these valencian dishes as well, they will blow your mind :)

[@CONTACT_NO_LIFE_SHAQ1]

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[@daano465]

By far my favourite dish to cook. The smell, the Orange/red collor of the broth and all the ingredients in it, the amazing tastebomb. I had no idea what I was tasting the first time I cooked a proper one, not the ones my parents cooked for me when I was young. Beautiful dish

[@xaimedelalin8006]

Paella is really good, but the all-known universal spanish dish is Tortilla de Patata You could even do a mini series on it hahaha

[@johncrombie2771]

I order that once, in a spanish restaurant and got a chip omelet. Not what I was expecting. :-)

[@pekenopol4083]

Cant wait for the challenge. This is a real challenge indeed. A rice like that is serious game with many hints that give you perfection, and veeery easy to mess. If you introduce the randomness of real fire this is something I really look forward to watch! Greetings from your subscriber from Spain :)

[@Crowbars2]

Wow, I can't wait for the "Perfect Paella is ALL ABOUT the rice!", in which Alex learns the secret to make excellent paella, learning that it takes ages to make well. Followed by another video called "How to make REAL PAELLA at home (in 30 minutes)" where Alex finds some hack to make really good paella in like 30 minutes.

[@TheNitoGaming]

I love the respect over this topic in your effort to bring us good content. We indeed take it very seriously in Valencia and you made a superb job. Thank you.

[@LifebyMikeG]

wow looks so damn good. Does make me question every paella I've had

[@campionedi1764]

hi

[@HandlingItAll]

Except you need about three times the seafood in it for me to get happy. This just ain't enough

[@ivanllopis5882]

As a Valencian from the area, I have to say that you did it right. And you said relevant things about the details. Congratulations, hope you enjoyed it!

[@resurgam_b7]

I really should know better than to watch Alex right before bedtime. I invariably want to wake back up and go make some random food as soon as the video is over 😂

[@coltonschimank5579]

I’m with you on that one @resurgam_b7

[@aitoriri1]

After all you series finally comes to paella and we know Álex is gonna treat this dish with care and respect. Can't wait!!

[@feedbackzaloop]

I can sooooo relate with "normal" paella being overcooked. Often it's even floating in broth and oil

[@pablosanchezflores9797]

Finally!!, I have been watching you along some years now and Spanish food was something you had to master. As a valencian is even more exciting to see you in my city trying real rice. Personally I would prefer the senyoret rice because it’s practically the same but with all the seafood pealed. It is a pitty that you couldn’t try the traditional paella, because when it’s done good It is an incredible experience. And if you decide to sumerge yourself in Valencian food, I would recommend doing some research in the region of marina alta (Javea Denia, jesus pobre). Their food is one of the best unknowns in spain

[@Getpojke]

I had a little chortle to myself when you mentioned how much they policed the making of paella. Made me think of the "international incident" that Jamie over at Sorted Food created when he made his now infamous "Paella Burrito". I've never visited Spain so haven't had a real one, though some good ones in a local Spanish restaurant. Don't think they compare to what you had though, that looked beautiful. As I know you like nice copper cookware & seafood, have you ever tried a "cataplana from Portugal? Cataplana is the name of the dish & the vessel its cooked in. I have a lovely old tin lined copper one. It's shaped like a domed bivalve shellfish, hinge on one side, spring lock on the other. Luckily in Scotland I've access to some world class seafood, & I love cooking it in my cataplana. When you bring it to the table & open that glittering copper dome, & your friends see the food through the waft of steam... magical.

[@AHG1347]

Will Alex use Chef Samuel's steaming technique to cook the rice in order to maintain the individual grains? This feels like a five part series, and we are here for all of it.

[@QuantumFracture]

I was waiting for this moment.

[@g.carbonell8219]

The infamous Paella of Schrödinger is everywhere. But in Valencia, were rice behaves deterministic.

[@paulaberna2154]

Goshh I've been following you for years and it's awesome to see you come to Spain! Good luck with the challenge, hope you get a nice socarrat

[@AntwonDaBusiness]

I’m American and have a paella pan. I visited San Sebastián spain as a young man and a family we stayed with made it homemade and I was hooked. It’s still one of my most favorite meals ever.

[@tjarsun]

Rice reminds me of Puertorican “pegao”. Literally means “stuck on” the bottom of the cooking pot. Really looking forward to this paella series, it’s a dish that I love. Here in Argentina (and in other Latin countries) there’s a special way of making the “disco” for cooking by recycling old farming plow disc blades.

[@helenswan705]

I think every rice-eating country has some recipes with the crispy rice on the bottom! China, India. The mystery to me is how it does not stick to the pan forever. I guess they all have better pans than me.

[@1spicatto]

@@helenswan705 Also the crispy rice at the bottom of korean dolsot bibimbap 😍

[@helenswan705]

@@1spicatto aaah I have never tasted any of them. I hope, one day.

[@rubenfaelens2127]

STOP WAVING THIS BEAUTIFUL RICE IN FRONT OF MY FACE, ALEX! Damn, seriously good job communicating how beautifully cooked this is.

[@CharlieBiggEggs]

YES YES YES. I AM A LOCAL VALENCIAN GUY AND THIS IS THE VID I NEEDED. I despise what other countries call "Paella" and once someone has tried the real thing, I know they can never go back to something that isn't. I encourage you to learn more from valencian cuisine. And if ur still here, go try one of the paellas at "MasBlayet", theirs is absolutely incredible. Props to you and your vids, love them.

[@pabloquiles7830]

Finally a dish from my country, looking forward to this series

[@lexell21]

great video as always! that paella looks absolutely amazing

[@bitchn_betty]

Did you reply? I'm not good with tech , and don't trust it.

[@lexell21]

@@bitchn_betty are you talking about the reply above yours? in that case no, its spam. just ignore it

[@bitchn_betty]

@@lexell21 thank you!!!!

[@lexell21]

@@bitchn_betty np! that kind of spam is really common. a good rule of thumb is to never trust any kind of giveaways in youtube comments. any youtubers actually doing giveaways is going to announce it in videos, not comment replies

[@bitchn_betty]

@@lexell21 that's why I was suspicious.....he didn't mention a " giveaway". Thank you so much again!

[@cbm3007]

Ole ole y ole. You went to one of the best, if not the best place, to eat Paella. Im from Moncada (Valencia) and every year we go to Casa Carmela almost 4 times, to celebrate birthdays etc.... well done

[@silvestremartinez2560]

Next time, call before and order the paella for an specific time. Keep it up.

[@arthurboehm]

The take-away--for me--is the relationship of rice to pan: the former is spread relatively thinly in the latter. This encourages rice caramelization, plus crusting, which results in deeper flavor.

[@KuraZie]

The best Paella I ever had was actually in Nice. I was told by another patron that a combination of how they prepare the broth, "in a French style," for cooking the rice in, Nice's excellent fresh seafood selection, and the wood they use for the fire, which infuses different smoky flavours in the dish, made it the best in France. Though they did leave a small amount of the broth in the bottom I think it added more to the dish than staying purely traditional would have.

[@acearch5ive]

Thanks!

[@dannmm6745]

Remember: if a paella has chorizo, olives, ham, peas or corn… it’s definitely NOT a Paella.

[@juniorenemuo]

Almost at 2 Mil Alex! You sir are a Légende. Thank you

[@KiCkFLiPKiCkFLiP]

The paella is sooooooo badly done in 99% of Spanish restaurants, imagine abroad. Is an amazing dish, that most people never tasted, but the tourist trap replica. Very good choice btw, Casa Carmela is the real deal 👍🏻

[@Flucadetena]

"All the other paellas I had before were overcooked" So much truth in that phrase ajjajaja, that is the most typical thing when having paella in tourist or bad places. Happy you liked it Alex ;)

[@frozentigerz7]

You definitely went to the right place to try a real Paella

[@cod4Rlp]

we tried to go here and they told use like 30 euro minimum per person. Cant be dealing with that bs

[@christianhildalgo]

@@cod4Rlp Very normal price for a seafood paella. From 20-35 euro per portion. Fresh high quality seafood is not cheap. And yes, you might not be served a lot of seafood, but it also goes in the stock that is one of the main ingredients. For Spain, not cheap, but I don't think it's an excessive price either.

[@cod4Rlp]

@@christianhildalgo No I checked, its 40 euros per person. If you demand a minimum amount I wont spend anything. We just went to their competitor and spent our money there. Rediculous. From my experience paying more in a restaurant seldom gets you a better experience anyway.

[@christianhildalgo]

@@cod4Rlp Demand a minimum amount? Are you insane, that's just called "price"

[@Kira_Yoshikage959]

"Rice cooked with spice/seasoning/herbs and various other ingredients" is one of my most favorite genre of food. That paella looks like a work of art...

[@thenotoriousp.i.g.7424]

Its a shame you couldn't try paella valenciana since I just recently became obsessed with this dish and would love to see your take on it.

[@Joe___R]

There is nothing better than food made by people who have been perfecting that recipe for generations. You will never be able to truly replicate it, but even 80% would be better than ever other versions you have had besides that one.

[@gnomobarbudo7630]

Excited about a new paella series!!! (Remember, the worst part of paella is purists that don't know how to enjoy or let people enjoy cuisine)

[@borjasanchez6356]

As a Spaniard, I’ve been waiting for this, a lot of series 😊 Nice choose for the new serie, thanks Alex

[@Erbmon]

Most people of spain make fun of Valencias anal definition of paella, for the most part we don't care it's made diferent in every house.

[@camilo9192]

"Anal" is the only word I would use to refer to a Valencian.

[@bernat_CustardCream]

We take it seriously, yes. But we make fun of the paella jihadists as well, love to argue about how to make it, the variables.. it's just some people that can't laugh at themselves and assume british tourists prefer having paella with chorizo but don't care about butchering other culture's traditions

[@tookitogo]

@@bernat_CustardCream “Paella jihadists” 😂😂

[@c4transguy]

I love pealla. I had it in Spain 4 years ago and it was wonderful, I haven't had good pealla in the US. I'm excited for this series.

[@paddymeere9870]

Clickbait with the prawns to trigger Spaniards

[@It-b-Blair]

Wut? Was dish served… content matches…

[@christianhildalgo]

Not triggering at all, we consider paella de marisco a legitimate variant of paella lol. In fact I'd say it is the preferred version of many Spaniards including valencians

[@bernat_CustardCream]

Not too much, seafood paella is probably the second most popular one. As long as you say "this is [insert type] paella" for any of the many different ones and not just "this is paella" that usually means by default the type is "valencian" which is a bit more limited in ingredients and recipe, you're good. If the rice is cooked completely different or it's not a dry rice, then, if you love life, say "this is [insert type] rice". Fun fact, in Valencian/Catalan "paella" means also pan.

[@B.Whittaker]

@@It-b-Blair they’re saying that Spaniards don’t want prawn in paella (similar to pineapple on pizza)

[@rcoh4]

Should’ve put chorizo if you want to trigger them more

[@TheJacklwilliams]

Alex, you stole my job 😂. I’m thoroughly enjoying your adventures in exploration of the gastronomic arts! As a young lad, I had the privelige of working under a few amazing chefs. I was exposed to the culinary arts and have pursued it (personally, left the business professionally early on) all my life. Paella is such an incredible art form! Thank you for sharing! It’s been on my list to explore this dish in my kitchen and with the chill of winter coming on? IT”S TIME!!!! So? i’m going to explore it with you! Onward!!!!😊

[@todo9633]

The thinness allowed by the width of the pan for the smaller amount of food is key here, it allows the rice to air out and not clump from the glaze, while also making the glaze at the bottom sticky and browned.

[@maxpouser]

Welcome to my city, so many years whatching you. One thing people have to understand about paella in a restaurant: you can go to the same place, one day have an amazing paella and other day is regular-meh

[@mjdeluxe]

cant wait for your video trying to replicate this dish, I'm going to attempt it myself as soon as it goes up

[@MariaGarcia-nx3ws]

Alex! I have been following you for almost ¿7? years maybe more. I am from Valencia! and I can´t wait to watch you cooking paella. Good luck

[@OliverKozlovPoesia]

It´s so lovely hear you speaking in spanish

[@patbatemanz]

I'm french but my grand mother is valenciana. The best paella I ever eat was in her village. When I think of it it's like I can almost taste it and it was socarrat perfectly. Thx for the video, adeu