Paella is one of my all-time favorite dishes ever and this Cauliflower Rice Seafood Paella is right up there with the popular Spanish Seafood Paella. It offers the exact same flavors and the texture of the cauliflower rice is spot on. This paella is super healthy, easy to make and is low carb & grain free.
The combination of seafood that I used was the Spanish typical: Squid, Shrimp and Fresh Mussels. This combination is very simple yet offers an array of flavors and textures that make this Cauliflower Rice Seafood Paella Recipe an absolute stunner. If you´re looking for a low carb paella that actually taste like a paella, you won´t be disappointed with this recipe.
– The Secret to Making the Perfect Caulifower Rice –
The key part to making this Cauliflower Rice Seafood Paella Recipe is to nail the texture of the cauliflower rice. The secret is to add no liquid into the pan like you would a traditional paella. Cauliflower rice does not absorb water like regular rice does, which means if you do add liquid you will end up with a mushy rice that has no texture.
In this recipe I will show you exactly how to cook the cauliflower rice so you end up with the exact paella style texture. Watch the video below on how to make this Cauliflower Rice Seafood Paella or check out the recipe card below, which you can print. Salud!
Equipment I Used to Make this Recipe:
Chef´s Knife
Wood Cutting Board
Paella Pan
Watch the Video Below on How to Make this Cauliflower Rice Seafood Paella Recipe
Cauliflower Rice Seafood Paella Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 large head cauliflower (= 4 cups cauliflower rice)
- 1/4 cup extra virgin Spanish olive oil
- 15 jumbo shrimp
- 8 fresh mussels
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 tube of squid
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 cup tomato puree
- pinch of saffron powder
- fresh parsley
- sea salt
- black pepper
- lemon slices
Instructions
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Cut a large head of cauliflower into 4 quarters, remove the leaves from the stalk and rinse the cauliflower under cold running water, shake off any excess water and then cut off the stalks from the cauliflower pieces and pulse in a food processor for about 20 seconds to get the cauliflower rice
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Finely mince 4 cloves of garlic, roughly dice 1 red bell pepper, cut 1 tube of squid into small squares and season 15 jumbo shrimp that have been peeled and deveined with sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper
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Heat a paella pan with a medium-high heat and add a 1/4 cup of extra virgin Spanish olive oil, 1 minute after adding the oil add the shrimp seasoned side down and cook for 1 minute per side, then remove the shrimp from the pan and set aside, add the diced bell peppers and mix with the oil, about 3 minutes later make a well in the middle and add the cut squid, mix around with the oil and cook for 1 minute, then make another well in the pan and add the minced garlic, 30 seconds after adding the garlic add a generous 1/2 teaspoon of smoked paprika, season with sea salt and a kiss of freshly cracked black pepper and mix everything together, then add 1/2 cup of tomato puree and season again with sea salt and mix together
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About 3 minutes after adding the tomato puree add 4 cups of the cauliflower rice into the pan along with 1 packet of saffron in powder form and some sea salt and mix everything together until well combined, then lower the fire to a LOW heat and add the shrimp back into the pan along with 8 fresh mussels, cover the pan with foil paper and cook for about 8 minutes, then remove the pan from the heat and let it rest for about 5 minutes
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Remove the foil paper and garnish the paella with slices of lemon and freshly chopped parsley, enjoy!
Recipe Notes
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18 . Feb . 2023nikki
can i use frozen riced cauliflower?
12 . Apr . 2022Spain on a Fork
Absolutely! Much love 🙂
14 . Apr . 2022JD
20 . Oct . 2019I made this last night with a few adjustments. I replaced the squid and mussels with chicken and salami but basically followed your recipe and recommendations to hold off on liquids. It was so good! Thank you so much for the recipe and tips.
Spain on a Fork
SO glad you enjoyed the paella 🙂 Thanks for the comment! much love
22 . Oct . 2019Jonathan
Lemon wasn’t in the ingredient list.
31 . Mar . 2019Spain on a Fork
Thank you for noticing, it´s been updated 🙂 much love
31 . Mar . 2019Natalie
08 . Aug . 2018Oh my, this paella looks absolutely amazing. SO delicious. I love all the flavors and it’s super easy to make. I’m so making this for my family.
Spain on a Fork
Thank you so much for your comment Natalie, much love 🙂
08 . Aug . 2018