Seafood paella on my new Firedisc

I picked up a new old stock Firedisc on Friday, I’ve seen them at Ace Hardware locally and they looked really nice but they were a bit on the pricey side. Got a good deal I think, heavy duty well built units :thumb:

I wanted to do something different for Fathers Day this year, it’s been unusually hot and I didn’t want to slave over a grill or smoker. My FIL is a big fan of Spanish paella and since seafood seems like a better deal than beef right now I figured why not.

I bought Argentinian shrimp, some mussels, and clams. I’d planned to use Arborio rice but read that Spanish Bomba was the ideal type because it absorbed 30% more liquid than most rice.





I think this is most of the ingredients here



The rice, probably the most expensive per pound I’ve bought…$5/lb or so



Firedisc heated up and ready to go



First the onions and some oil, then diced bell peppers, then minced garlic



Mix in the rice and coat with oil, then some white wine and boil for a minute or so



Next the peas, salt, and paprika



A big difference with many rice dishes and paella is that the rice is not stirred, so you need to spread out and then gently pour the stock in to not disturb it. Because this pan isnt flat like most paella pans, the center had more liquid and heat than the perimeter which posed a bit of a problem.



I added the shrimp, mussels, and clams. I was a little concerned about how the perimeter was going to cook as it was a little bit cooler, so I decided to tent with foil which help raise the temp along the edges and a bit of heat from the top.



Once it was done I pulled from the heat and garnished with lemons.



Twas a hit :thumb: normally I don’t try new recipes for guests especially on a new cooker but I rolled the dice and it was ended up working out.

My original/first burner was giving me lots of problems with superheating the pan in the center but not being very hot on the perimeter. It's a 60K BTU burner and above medium it'd make the metal glow. Maybe the pans on it don't sit close enough to fan the flame out, or it's just the burner design itself, but it made it difficult to season and cook food. Scorch in the middle, not enough heat outside of it.



The Firedisc's pan seems a little better matched for the burner, and the flames are better distributed fanning out from the center. It's also not as powerful of a burner, even on high it won't make the metal glow.



I really like the idea of the other burner, the legs telescope and are detachable for transport. But unless I can overcome the afterburner focused at the center of the pan I'm not sure it'll work out. The Firedisc stand breaks down into two pieces so it too is fairly easy to transport. Looking forward to cooking some more things on it.

St Brigid said:

Wow. I brought a paella pan years ago that came from Spain and I’ve been dying to try it. You have inspired me. Have to convince hubby to sit outside with me. Took me YEARS to figure out why my 30 year old New York Times cookbook started the paella recipe with “build a small fire with twigs….”

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Having even heat to the edge of the pan definitely would've made things easier, most of the "authentic" recipes I read talked about the traditional method being to use a live fire underneath, and moving the coals or wood around to manipulate the heat placement.