50
Paella
Ingredients
200 g (7 oz) white long grain rice
600 ml (1 pint) hot chicken stock
2.5 ml (½ tsp) paprika
salt and pepper to taste
1 red pepper, seeded and sliced
100 g (4 oz) prawns, peeled and
cooked
100 g (4 oz) peas
100 g (4 oz) cockles, cooked
100 g (4 oz) mussels, cooked
100 g (4 oz) whole baby sweet
corn, halved
225 g (8 oz) chicken, cooked and
chopped
400 g (14 oz) can chopped
tomatoes
Serves 4
Fish cooks very well by micro wave as it stays moist and the lingering fish smells left in
conventional ovens are avoided.
When is fish cooked?
Fish is cooked when it flakes easily and becomes opaque.
For fish with a strong odour, eliminate the smell after cooking by placing 600 ml
(1 pt) of boiling water and 1 sliced lemon in a large bowl, cook on SIMMER power for 20
mins. Wipe out oven with a dry cloth.
Whole fish
If cooking 2 whole fish together, they should be arranged head to tail for even cooking. Large
whole fish must have the tail and head shielded halfway through cooking with smooth pieces
of tin foil secured with cocktail sticks.
Arranging
Thin fillets of fish i.e. plaice,
should be rolled up prior to
cooking to avoid
overcooking on the thinner
outside edge and tail. Fish
steaks should be arranged in
a circle, thicker part to the
outside. Cover with cling film
or lid.
Liquid
Fresh fish should always be
sprinkled with 30 ml (2 tbsp)
of lemon juice, white wine or
water. When cooking Frozen
fish, add liquid as above for
even cooking. Do not
sprinkle salt onto fish before
cooking as this may make
the fish dry.
Noise
During cooking, popping
sounds may be heard. This is
due to moisture trapped
between the flesh,
particularly with oily fish such
as salmon and mackerel.
This can be minimised when
cooking if the skin and flesh
is pierced several times with
a cocktail stick.
1. Place the rice in a large bowl and add the stock,
paprika and seasoning.
2. Cover, place on glass turntable and cook on
MEDIUM power for 14-15 minutes, until the
rice is tender, stir 2-3 times during cooking. Drain.
3. Cook peppers in 1 tbsp water, covered on HIGH
power for 3 mins.
4. Stir in the pepper, prawns, peas, cockles, mussels,
baby corn, chicken and tomatoes into the rice.
5. Cook on HIGH power for 8 mins. stirring halfway
through cooking.
Dish: large bowl
