Oven-Baked Paella with Seafood and Chorizo

Preheat an oven to 325°F (165°C).

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil over high heat. Fill a large bowl with ice and water. Add the lobster tails to the boiling water and cook until the shells turn bright red and the meat is opaque throughout, 5 to 7 minutes. Immediately transfer the lobster tails to the ice water to stop the cooking. When they are cool, cut the tails in half lengthwise and clean them, if necessary. Set aside.

In a large ovenproof fry pan or paella pan over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the shrimp and cook, turning once, until no longer translucent and just cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Season lightly with salt and transfer to a plate.

If the pan is dry, add more olive oil, then add the onion and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the paella starter and cook, stirring occasionally, until the rice is toasted and lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Add the chorizo and stir to coat, then add the stock. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and transfer to the oven. Bake until most of the stock is absorbed, about 15 minutes.

Carefully remove the paella from the oven but do not stir. Nestle the lobster tails, shrimp and mussels in the rice, then sprinkle the peas on top. Drizzle the paella with olive oil and season lightly with salt. Re-cover the pan and bake until the lobster and shrimp are heated through and the mussels open, about 7 minutes.

Remove the paella from the oven and remove the foil from the pan. If desired, set the pan over medium-high heat and cook, without stirring, for 5 minutes to create a crust on the bottom of the pan. Discard any unopened mussels. Squeeze the juice from a few of the lemon wedges over the paella and serve the remaining lemon wedges alongside. Serves 8.

Williams Sonoma Test Kitchen