Making a Spanish Paella without a Paella Pan
Can you make a paella with a regular frying pan? Learn how to make a Spanish Paella without a Paella Pan. Loaded with flavor and easy to make.

- Prep time
- 10 min
- Cook time
- 35 min
- Yield
- 2 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 2 fillets yellow fin tuna (cubed and seasoned with sea salt and black pepper)
- 20 green beans cut into 2-inch pieces
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tomato grated
- 1/2 cup cooked large lima beans (canned or frozen)
- 1/2 tsp sweet smoked paprika
- 2 1/4 cups water
- 1/2 tsp saffron threads
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- 1 cup round rice
- pinch sea salt
- pinch black pepper
- 1 lemon
Instructions
- 1
Heat a fry pan with a medium-high heat and add a 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil, after 2 minutes add the cubes of tuna into the pan and move around with the oil, after 2 minutes and all the tuna has been browned, remove from the pan and set aside
- 2
Add the green beans into the pan and mix around with the oil, after 3 minutes make a well in the middle and add the 4 cloves of minced garlic, mix around for 1 minute, then add 1 tomato that has been grated, a 1/2 cup of frozen or jarred lima beans, 1/2 tsp of sweet smoked paprika and season with sea salt, mix it all together until well combined
- 3
Next add 2 1/4 cups of cold water into the pan, pinch in 1/2 tsp of saffron threads, season again with sea salt and add 1 sprig of rosemary, gently mix together and let it come to a boil, then add 1 cup of round rice and gently mix around so everything is evenly distributed, after this don´t mix the rice again, but you can give the pan a quick shake once in a while
- 4
Six minutes after adding the rice into the pan, add the tuna back into the paella, after a total of 9 minutes since adding the rice, lower the fire to a low-medium heat and let it simmer, after simmering for 3 to 4 minutes there should be very little water left, to achieve the socarrat (caramelized rice underneath) heat the pan back to a medium-high heat for 4 to 5 minutes, then remove the pan from the heat and cover with a dish cloth, after 5 minutes uncover the paella and garnish with lemon wedges, enjoy!