Paella Pockets

By Mark and Ramy Ibrahim

Calamari tubes stuffed with saffron-infused rice, rendered chorizo, and tender sautéed tentacles, brightened with fresh herbs and a hint of jalapeño. Finished on the grill for a smoky finish and served with a vibrant squeeze of fresh lemon.

Servings 30 Tubes

Total Time 1 Hour

Difficulty Medium

Three browned, herb-seasoned stuffed squid sit beside dark lentils and leafy greens on a white plate, creating a rustic, savory meal.

Ingredients

4 pounds calamari, tubes and body separated
2 cups long grain rice
12 oz Spanish cooking chorizo, diced
1 large shallot, minced
2 tbsp cilantro, chopped
2 tbsp parsley, chopped
1 jalapeño, minced
zest of one lemon
pinch of saffron
¼ cups sherry or Marsala

Appetizers Seafood Squid Grilling Skillet Spanish Under 1 Hour All Recipes

Directions

Cook 2 cups long grain rice to al dente (5 minutes short) with 1/2 tsp saffron.
Sauté chorizo until rendered down (about 10 minutes).
Remove chorizo from pan and remove grease and reserve for later.
Sauté finely diced shallot (about 1/2 cup) in pan containing some chorizo fat and remove.
Chop tentacles and cook that in some of the grease then deglaze with some sherry or Marsala.
Combine chorizo, shallots, and tentacles with rice.
Add cilantro , parsley, jalapeño, and lemon zest. Add salt to taste.
If needed, at this time add some olive oil or remaining chorizo fat for texture.
Stuff squid tubes with the mix leaving 3/4 in at the top and close. Secure with a toothpick, if necessary.
Grill for a few minutes and serve with squeeze of lemon and parsley garnish.

Notes

Parboiling (Al Dente Rice): Cooking the rice five minutes short of fully done is important. Because the rice is stuffed into the squid tubes and grilled, it will continue to steam and absorb moisture inside the squid. Parboiling prevents the rice from turning mushy.

Rendering (Chorizo): Sautéing the chorizo over medium heat melts out its highly seasoned fat. Using this rendered fat to sauté the shallots and tentacles acts as a flavor bridge, infusing the entire dish with the smoky, paprika-heavy notes of the sausage.

Deglazing (Sherry/Marsala): Pouring alcohol into the hot pan after cooking the tentacles lifts the caramelized bits (fond) stuck to the bottom. This dissolves those rich flavors back into the tentacle mixture and adds a complex, sweet-acidic balance to the seafood.

Direct-Heat Grilling: Squid cooks very fast. Grilling over high, direct heat quickly chars the outside tube and warms the pre-cooked filling through without overcooking the squid, which easily becomes rubbery.