To all my paella-loving friends REJOICE! You can now enjoy a paella even if you are following a lower carb lifestyle.
Paella, in the strictest sense, is defined by the pan it’s made in and by the essential ingredient Bomba Rice, the rice of Spain.
But HEY! Sometimes a girl just wants to enjoy all of the goodness of a paella without all of the carbs imparted by rice.
I constantly get asked if I can make a low-carb paella and now I know I can. Thanks to Chef Lior Lev Sercarz of La Boîte of NY and they amazing Salvador Spice No.19, it is the perfect way to bring all the flavors together and showcase all that a paella can be. I used their recipe but because I love mussels, I added a few steamed mussels that I was already making for dinner along with rolled roasted red Pepper strips. A drizzle of tahini brought all the flavors together. No apologies to Spain! They should be jealous! Cheers!
- 1 pound frozen cauliflower rice
- 12 shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 cup chopped kale
- Salvador spice No. 19
- 1/2 tablespoon dry garlic slices
- Olive oil
- 1 lemon
- Salt
- 1 cup cilantro leaves (optional)
- 2 tablespoons tahina (optional)
- Mussels and roasted red peppers (optional)
- Season the shrimp with some salt and Salvador spice on both sides and set aside.
- Warm some olive oil in a paella pan (or a large frying pan). Add the garlic slices and a few pinches of Salvador spice. Add the chopped kale, salt and cook over medium heat for about 3 minutes.
- Add the frozen cauliflower rice and increase the heat to high. Cook for about 4 minutes and then spread the cauliflower rice evenly on the pan surface. Reduce the heat to medium low.
- Heat some olive oil in a second pan and cook the shrimp over medium heat for about 1 minute on each side (no need to sear on high heat. The shrimp will actually be nice and tender this way).
- Place the shrimp on top of the cauliflower rice.
- Drizzle with lemon juice and cook for about 3 more minutes.
- Garnish with cilantro leaves, tahina and some olive oil. Enjoy.