Pacific Northwest Seafood Paella

Updated: August 1, 2023

It’s no secret that I love seafood, and luckily the Pacific Northwest has some of the best in the world. I’m always looking for new ways to prepare fish and shellfish that can easily be done outside on a campfire. And this Pacific Northwest Seafood Paella fits that bill!

Seafood paella is an ideal choice for a hearty meal while visiting the beach. This dish traces its origins to 19th century Valencia, Spain, where fishermen cooked seafood and rice over an open fire for lunch. Today, there are hundreds of variations of this dish using combinations of ingredients from chicken and rabbit to fresh crustaceans like this recipe.

At least two to three times a year, I like to camp along the Oregon Coast. It is rugged and natural and peppered with quaint beach towns with delicious seafood restaurants. Yachats is my favorite area along the coast. The beaches are wide open, the viewpoints are dramatic, and there are a variety of fun restaurants and shops.

Top Sites Around Yachats, Oregon

1. Cape Perpetua // This scenic area incorporates vast hiking trails, sea-life-filled tidepools, and dramatic wave features like Thor’s Well.
2. Sea Lion Caves // A quick 20-minute drive south of Yachats is Oregon’s famous sea lion caves. There descend into a cave to see hundreds of sea lions in their natural habitat.
3. North Fork Covered Bridge // This classic covered bridge is the perfect site for a peaceful walk… and a few Instagram photos.

While there, my go-to is Luna Sea Fish House. Along with a fun dine-in and carry-out menu, they also have a wide selection of fresh seafood, including clams, crab, and oysters. Perfect ingredients for this dish!

This recipe is a campsite variation of the Grilled Seafood Paella from Food and Wine. Preparing the broth takes a bit more time, but it is delicious and well worth the extra effort.

Steps to Make Seafood Paella At Camp

1. Prepare broth. This can be done up to 3 days ahead of time… just keep this chilled until cooking.
2. Saute onions and scallions, and then add in tomatoes and peas.
3. Cook rice in a paella pan using broth.
4. Add seafood and cook until the clams and mussels are open and the shrimp is cooked.
5. Enjoy!

The star of this show is the fresh dungeness crab. Not only is it tasty, but it adds a dramatic effect to your plating. If you are new to cooking and cleaning fresh crab, check out my Dungeness Crab Bisque recipe for a quick how-to!

FAQ

• Can you make this recipe without a paella pan?
  Yes! While a paella pan will conduct heat the best to get the bottom of the rice crispy, you could also use a cast iron skillet or Dutch Oven. Just make sure you adjust the portions of the ingredients accordingly for the size of your pan.
  
• What rice is best to make paella?
  I like to use Arborio rice, but any short-grain rice will work well.
  
• I can’t find the exact combination of seafood you used in this recipe. What are the best substitutions?
  Really any fresh seafood will work – fish, squid, and mussels are all excellent options. You could also use a cooked lobster instead of a crab.
  
• What should I eat with seafood paella?
  This meal is pretty complete, with a good combination of seafood for protein, grains, and veggies. To keep it light, start with a Spanish tomato salad. Or if you are carb-loading for a big day on the mountain or on the trail, add some crusty bread to soak up the excess juices.
  
• What are the shortcuts to make this dish easier outside?
  If making your paella on the beach, cook the broth ahead of time at home on the stove. This is easily transported in a glass mason jar and re-heated before making the paella. If you make the broth ahead of time, you might not have your shrimp shells ready. In this case, use equal parts seafood stock and water vs. all water with the shells.

Now that you’re equipped with all the tips and tricks to make Pacific Northwest Seafood Paella, it’s time to get out there and give it a try. This unique and delicious recipe will be sure to become a family favorite and make your next camping trip memorable. Plus, there are so many variations you can explore with this one-pot dish: add in some off-the-boat squid or mussels instead of the clams and crab, or switch up the veggies you use And don’t forget to share your creations by tagging #bewildeats on Instagram – we can’t wait to see all of your wild takes on Pacific Northwest seafood paella. Bon appétit!

5 from 6 votes

Pacific Northwest Seafood Paella

Servings 8 people

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Equipment

• 14 inch paella pan (optional)

Ingredients

For the Broth…

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 onion sliced
• 2 carrots sliced
• 3 tbsp tomato paste
• 1/4 cup sherry vinegar
• 2 qts water
• 4 cloves garlic smashed
• 4 thyme sprigs
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 large chipotle chile in adobo
• large pinch saffron threads
• salt

For the Paella…

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 5 scallions cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1/2 onion diced
• 1 cup short grain Spanish rice
• 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes halved
• 1/4 cup fresh peas
• 6 large shrimp shells reserved
• 1/2 lb clams
• 1/2 lb mussels
• 1 Dungeness crab cooked, cleaned and broken down

Instructions

For the Broth…

• Heat oil over medium heat in a large saucepan. Add shells of shrimp. Cook until just brown, stirring frequently. Add onions and carrots. Saute for another 5 minutes. Add tomato paste to the pot and cook for another 2 minutes. Add sherry vinegar and water to the pot. Bring to boil.
• Stir in the garlic, thyme, bay leaves, chipotle, and saffron. Reduce heat and cook for 30-45 minutes.
• Strain solids from broth using a fine mesh sieve. This should yield 4 cups of broth.

For the Paella…

• Re-heat broth in saucepan until warm.
• Heat oil in paella pan over a medium-hot fire. Add scallions and onion. Reduce heat or move to the cooler side of the fire. Stir in rice to dish and cook for another 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and peas.
• Pour in broth to paella pan until rice is fully saturated. There may be excess broth leftover depending on how much you reduced your broth while cooking. Cover with foil. Cook undisturbed for 25 minutes, and the broth has been absorbed.
• Distribute the clams, and mussels throughout the dish. Recover and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the shrimp and cook for another 5 minutes until shrimp is pink and the clams and mussels are open. Discard any clams or mussels that do not open. Add crab to the dish and serve immediately.

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mediterranean, Spanish

Keyword: Campfire, Seafood

Did you make this recipe?

Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and tag @bewildeats on Instagram and hashtag it #bewildeats.