In the southeast of Hyrule is the small fishing village of Lurelin. The residents of this village fish the Faron and Necluda seas, and because of this, are known for their fish and seafood. Much of the Lurelin cuisine is seafood based. This dish in particular highlights the seafood found in the regional waters by simmering it with Hylian rice and spices.
For this dish, we stray a little from the traditional Hylian ingredients, because the picture itself strays from the ingredients. We use a variety of peppers to match the intended vegetables of the picture. Additionally, we will use the traditional Spanish paella seafood of shrimp, squid, and mussels. The mussels will replace the snails. Though shrimp and squid do not appear in breath of the Wild as ingredients, they are plainly visible in the picture of the paella. You can use seafood or chicken stock, whichever you prefer to balance the seafood flavor of the dish.
Ingredients
¼ cup olive oil
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 roasted piquillo peppers, sliced into strips
1-2 sweet green peppers, sliced into rings
1 tsp paprika
½ tsp tumeric
½ tsp saffron
¼ tsp salt, plus more
2 cups arborio rice
3 cups seafood broth or chicken broth
1 cup white wine, divided
½ cup water
2 squid, cleaned, prepped, and cut into rings
½ lb large shrimp, shells removed and deveined
8 mussels, cleaned
Pepper
Add the broth and ½ cup of white wine to a pot over low-medium heat. Being the broth mixture to a simmer and then turn the heat to low. Take the saffron strands and crush them by rolling them in your palm with your fingers, and then add it to the warm broth and stir to bloom. Season you peeled shrimp with salt and pepper.
To prep the squid, pull off the head and insides with a good tug (try not to burst the ink sack in the process). Pull out the cuddlebone (spine) with your hand. Using a sharp carving knife, slice off the fins. Use the break in the skin created by these slices to gently roll the skin off of the body of the squid. Rinse the squid body inside and out and then slice into rings. You can also buy frozen squid rings if you do not wish to break down a squid yourself.
Add the oil to a paella pan or sauté pan over medium-low heat. Once the oil is warm, add the onion and cook until soft, about 3-5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the paprika and tumeric, stir, and allow to cook for 30 seconds. Add the squid rings, the green pepper rings, and a pinch of salt to the pan and cook for 1 minute.
Add the rice and toss to fully coat with the oil and seasonings. Allow the rice to cook for a minute and then add the broth with the saffron. Stir the broth through the rice. Add the other 2 cups of broth and the white wine. Make sure the rice is flat and evenly balanced in the pan. Cook the rice for about 20 minutes. Do not stir the rice once you have added the broth!
Halfway through the cooking of the rice, about 10 minutes, arrange the shrimp on top of the rice as well as the roasted piquillo pepper strips. Once the shrimp turns orange, flip it for the remainder of the cook time.
While the shrimp is cooking, in another pan over medium heat, add ½ cup of water and ½ cup of white wine. Bring the liquid to a simmer, add the muscles, and cover the pan. Allow the mussels to steam until the shells open, roughly 3-5 minutes.
When the rice is finished cooking arrange the mussels on top of the paella. Salt and pepper to taste, as needed. Allow the paella 5 minutes to rest before serving. Serve the paella in the pan.
Learn more about the Seafood Paella dish from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild at Zelda Dungeon.