How to prepare a good broth for paella

In paella there are many essential ingredients: top quality Valencian rice, garrofó from our fields... But if there is one ingredient that must be of the best quality, it is undoubtedly the fumet for paella.

Paella broth, also referred to as stock or fumet, is a key ingredient in the preparation of our rice, since much of the flavor is obtained from it, without forgetting how important it is for the preparation of socarrat.

In this blog post we are going to tell you why it is important to make a good fumet and how to prepare a meat and fish fumet that leaves your diners wanting seconds or even thirds.

Why is it important to prepare good broth for paella?

The main reasons why we want a good broth for paella are based on two important points: The first of them is that much of the flavor of our paella is found in the broth, since it is absorbed by the rice grains. A well-made broth, therefore, implies that the flavor of our paella will be finger-licking good.

The second reason is that a good fumet helps encourage the creation of the appreciated socarrat. For socarrat to be done, you need 3 things: heat, oil and fat. The paella pan gives us the heat, we add the oil when we sauté, but the fat spreads throughout the paella through its broth. Thus, a well-made fumet will help us achieve a uniform socarrat in our paella.

We must also keep in mind that using a fumet is also a valid option to make paella, as long as we know that the fumet used has a flavor equal to or even better than the one we could make by adding water to the sauce to make the paella. broth from our paella. After all, the paella broth is an ingredient that cannot fail, otherwise the flavor of our paella could be impacted regardless of other possible factors.

How to prepare a meat broth

Also known as dark broth, meat broth requires more time to prepare, but this time results in a more intense flavor.

Be careful not to get confused by its name, there is no such thing as a meat fumet, this term is commonly reserved for fish broths.

The necessary ingredients for meat fumet are:

Tips:

- You can replace the chicken with other types of meat depending on what paella you are going to make, such as rabbit or lean.

- Do not add a lot of salt, since you will also have to add it when you make the paella. It is much better to correct the salt during the preparation of the paella than during the preparation of the fumet.

Step by Step:

1- Peel the carrot and onion, remove the hairs from the leek and wash everything well before putting them in the pot. Cut the onion in two to make it easier to fit.

2- Place the meat carcasses and all the vegetables you are going to use in a large pot with water. Turn the heat on to medium power and wait for it to start to boil, from here skim it with a slotted spoon to ensure that you are left with a clean broth free of impurities.

3- Let the broth cook over low heat for 30 minutes, this way the fumet will obtain a rich and delicious flavor.

4- Once finished, let it rest for 30 minutes to 1 hour, this will allow the flavors to merge and have a more powerful flavor. Immediately after resting, pass it through a strainer.

5- With your fumet prepared, you can use it directly or freeze it in your refrigerator. It is advisable to use it the same day it is prepared or within the next 3 days, if this is not possible, you can always freeze it.

How to prepare a fish fumet

Fish broth is most commonly prepared as fumet, since it is used for a wide range of rice dishes, suquets and broths.

The necessary ingredients for fish fumet are:

Tips:

- For fish heads and bones, it is advisable to use rock fish, also known as whitebait.

- Remove the eyes and gills from the head of the fish, as these will make the flavor of the fumet bitter.

Step by Step:

1- Clean the vegetables and fish, this also includes the heads and bones to remove blood, viscera or sand. Next we peel and cut the vegetables.

2- Put a pot on the fire with a little olive oil, heat it and keep the heat at medium-low power, add the vegetables and sauté the vegetables. Once they are soft, add the fish or seafood and let them cook until they take on the typical color of a cooked fish.

3- Add the wine, spices and water until the ingredients are covered. Let it cook over medium heat for about 20-30 minutes, without letting it start to boil. While it cooks, it eliminates impurities that rise to the surface.

4- Once finished, cover the pot and let the fumet rest for 30 minutes to 1 hour so that the flavors merge with each other. With our broth rested, strain the fumet with a strainer.

5- From here you can use it directly in your paella or you can store it in your refrigerator. We recommend consuming it the same day or in the next 3 days, although if you think it will take longer, you can also freeze it.

We hope that these recipes help you make delicious paellas, rice cooks!

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