Seafood Paella

4 1/2 c chicken stock
1/2 tsp saffron threads, crumbled and loosely measured
1/4 tsp salt
3 T oil
1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped
1/2 yellow red bell pepper, finely chopped (I used a yellow bell pepper)
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
6 oz smoke sausage, sliced think and half moon size
3 c short grain rice - Bomba or Arborio Rice (I always use Arborio)
14 oz fire roasted tomatoes, diced
1 c frozen peas
1 lb shrimp, peels removed
1 lb clams, rinsed and scrubbed 
1 lb mussels, rinsed and scrubbed (I could not find these, so I just doubled up on the clams)
1/4 c chopped parsley, for garnish (I did not use this. I bought it, just never used it.)
2 lemons, sliced for garnish

In a saucepan over medium heat, bring the stock to a boil. Add the saffron and salt. Turn off the heat and let the saffron steep for at least 15 minutes. Taste and add more salt, if needed. 

Cook the base: In a big skillet, heat the oil over medium heat and add the onions and bell peppers. Cook 5-7 minutes or until the onions are translucent. Stir in garlic and sausage and cook. 

Assemble ingredients next to the stove:
1. Base
2. Rice
3. Tomatoes
4. Infused Stock
5. Salt
6. Peas
7. Seafood

Set skillet with base on burner over medium heat. Add the rice and cook, stirring often, for 4-5 minutes or until rice is coated with oil and lightly toasted. The lightly toasted part took a little longer for me than 5 minutes. I might have cooked it for an extra 2-3 minutes. Stir in the stock, tomatoes and peas. Spread rice evenly over the bottom of the pan. Simmer without stirring for 15 minutes or until rice absorbs most of the liquid. I doubled the recipe, so this took way longer than 15 minutes. It was about an extra 20 or 25 minutes before the liquid was mostly absorbed, and I did stir it after 15 minutes. If the mix looks dry, add 1 c hot water, don't stir.

Add seafood. Put clams with the hinges down so they can open when cooking. Arrange shrimp around shellfish. Cover pan with foil and cook 6-10 minutes. I cooked it a little longer waiting for the seafood to cook and the clams to open. Once shrimp are done and most clams are open you are good to go. Discard any closed clams. 

If bottom isn't golden, set over heat for a few minutes to caramelize the bottom. 

Serve with the parsley. 

*** I cooked Paella before, but couldn't find the recipe I used. I searched for a while to find this one and it was perfect. I now have the recipe in my recipe box for future use!