Cooking Masterclass: How to Make Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal’s All-Time Favorite Seafood Paella at Home

Like most Spaniards, Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal enjoy and savor a dish of seafood paella. In addition to the many similarities the duo share, their choice of favorite food is also common.

Both stars have very similar dietary habits, including their love for the seafood version of paella. Growing up in the coastal town of Mallorca, seafood and fish was an essential part of Nadal’s diet. Similarly, Alcaraz has also professed his love for pescatarian dishes. In an interview with LTA, he chose paella as his pick if he could eat only one food for the rest of his life.

The original Valencian recipe for paella does not include seafood, but the two Spanish ATP pros like it with fish. Read on to find out how to cook seafood paella the way Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal like it. However, one should know that one of the USPs of the iconic dish is there is no single fixed recipe. Every chef and every culture has its own bits of variations.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 cups uncooked short-grain white rice
• 1 pinch saffron threads
• 1 large bay leaf
• ½ bunch Italian flat leaf parsley, chopped
• 1 quart chicken stock
• 2 medium lemons, zested
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium Spanish onion, chopped
• 1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 pound chorizo sausage, casings removed and crumbled

Directions for Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal’s favourite Seafood Paella

1. Mix olive oil, paprika, oregano, salt, and pepper for marinade and add chicken, coating it. Cover and refrigerate until needed.

2. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a paella pan over medium heat. Add garlic and red pepper flakes, stir, and add rice. Cook and stir until rice is coated with oil (approx. 3 minutes).

3. Add spices like saffron, bay leaf, parsley, chicken stock, and lemon zest. Stir until well combined and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and let it simmer for 20 minutes.

4. As rice cooks, heat olive oil in a separate skillet over medium heat. Add marinated chicken and stir for 3 minutes. Add onion and cook until translucent.

5. Add bell pepper and sausage to chicken; cook and stir, crumbling sausage with a spatula, for 5 minutes. Add shrimp; cook and stir until shrimp are bright pink on the outside and the meat is opaque.

6. First, spread rice onto a serving tray. Top it with a layer of meat and seafood mixture.

Also Read: How to make Spaghetti Pomodoro the way Roger Federer enjoys it. 

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• Carlos Alcaraz
• Rafael Nadal