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Sep 07 2026
Spotlight on Paella Ingredients
Whether you’re a paella professional or a budding enthusiast, the humble paella ingredients that you know and love have become more accessible around the globe, to offer convenience and optimal results.
Celebrity chef José Andrés researched traditional paella recipes tirelessly for his TV series while traveling around Spain. His chosen paella recipe maintains the simple, quality ingredients of a Valencian paella - chicken and rabbit, cooked with tomato, green beans, locally grown butter beans known as garrofón, saffron, olive oil, pimentón, and other seasonings, with rice and water or stock. However there are many variations of what is commonly labelled paella that include seafood, mixed mar y montaña (surf and turf) style, and even vegan paella recipes.
The paella-making process is both simple and complex, centering around timing and technique - knowledge that is passed down through generations of Spanish families. These days, there are many paella products to make life easier and to make the resulting paella more authentic. So, let’s take a look at the paella cooking process and the ingredients that make it sizzle!
The Sofrito
The sofrito is best explained as a slow-fry or sauté of the base vegetables to form a paste-like substance that creates an unctuous covering for the rice while the paella is cooking. While the original sofrito recipe is Extra Virgin olive oil, onion, and garlic, culinary evolution has meant that in Spain, tomato was introduced to create the perfect umami undertones with subtle acidity. Another widely accepted ingredient in sofrito is the red bell pepper or ñora pepper.
Sofrito Paella Products
If you don’t have an extra hour to prepare the sofrito for the paella, there are several brands selling pre-made, natural sofrito, such as Cuick, El Guiso or Matiz Sofrito. Colmados such as La Tienda stock the Sofrito Sauce for Paella by Arteoliva with 100% all natural ingredients.
To add the extra nuance of ñora bell pepper flavor without adding extra cooking time, several stockists sell carne de ñora - look for brands such as La Legua or La Barraca.
The Fondo Broth or Stock
While the traditional Valencian paella uses water, or simple chicken stock at a stretch, the broth for paella is an important part of the process - note that stock cubes just don’t cut it. The ideal broth for a paella uses proteins such as chicken (the wing, bones and skin) and fish heads or tails, to add collagen - which is key to creating a dense liquid - along with the mirepoix of vegetables (onion, carrot, celery), plus herbs and seasonings. The finished broth should have a slightly higher density than water, to allow the perfect cooking time with the paella rice.
Fondo Paella Products
Spanish household names such as Grupo Gallo and Aneto produce all-natural fondo broths, whether they are fish broth (for seafood paella), chicken and vegetable, or red-meat based.
For a more avant-garde finish in your paella, recreating the smoky aromas from a paella cooked over firewood, brands such as El Paeller and Beautifood produce wood-fired broths, the likes of which can be found in colmados such as Mercado Little Spain.
The Rice
Although it can be sold with varying names such as “paella rice”, the correct rice for paella is bomba rice, hailing from the paddy fields along the Valencian coast. This small short-grain rice expands to three times its size when cooked, and it absorbs 3 parts to one, meaning more flavor from the broth into your perfectly formed paella rice. Just remember not to stir it!
Bomba Rice Products
Look for bomba rice from Arroz de Valencia PDO. Online stockists such as Jamones Sin Fronteras deliver from Spain, but you can also shop for quality bomba rice close to home, at stockists such as Brindisa (UK) and Barcelona Gourmet (Canada).
The Proteins, Vegetables and Seasonings
The best paella is made with fresh and authentic ingredients when it comes to the proteins, vegetables and seasonings used. The browning of the proteins - or of the vegetables - in the paella pan is an integral part of the process, to create savory flavor from the start. Although these fresh proteins are more easily sourced locally, it is possible to achieve fantastic results in a paella by using other ingredients from Spain, as well as staple seasonings you can store.
Proteins, Vegetable and Seasoning Products
If you want the authentic Spanish rabbit flavor in a Valencian paella, Regalis Foods or Marx Foodservice (USA) stock whole Spanish rabbit from Grupo Hermi, the biggest producer inSpain, who pride themselves in an air-chilling process that ensures an excellent product.
Gourmet canned preserves, for example artichokes from PGI Alcachofa de Tudela, or beans by brands like El Juncal, Ybarra, La Fragua are great for cooking into a paella. Green beans known as ferraúras are traditionally used. These wide, flat horseshoe-shaped beans are like a sponge that soaks up flavor, as is the garrafón – one of the essential ingredients for a traditional paella Valenciana. This white butter bean has a natural buttery taste and creamy texture, with thin skins that provide maximum absorbency of the rich paella stock.
Saffron, the most famous spice used in paella, is usually found powdered or in threads. Look for saffron from La Mancha, such as the Saffron by Princesa de Minaya, DO La Mancha at La Tienda (USA). Other seasonings necessary to fine tune a paella include herbs like rosemary and thyme, pimentón from DOP Pimentón de La Vera, Spanish sea salt, and of course an Extra Virgin olive oil.
Many specialist Spanish food companies also offer complete paella-making kits, including essential cooking hardware and premium, imported Spanish pantry staples. This includes the likes of La Tienda, Matiz España, El Paeller, Gastraval, and Paellero. Search for these all-in-one kits and quality ingredients at your nearest Colmados From Spain!
