Stop Putting Onions In This Classic Seafood Dish

Onions are one of the pillars of the culinary world. That said, if you're making paella, avoid adding them to your dish for both the flavor and the texture they can contribute. Onions are moisture-rich, which makes them an outlier in a dish characterized by its dry finish. Paella comes with a distinct crisp base achieved when the rice soaks up the moisture and fats and sugars undergo caramelization. With the addition of onions, it's challenging to achieve this, which is the last thing you want. Paella is one of the foods that tastes better if slightly burnt, after all.

Flavor-wise, onions tip the harmonious quality of flavors with their sweetness, which may be overwhelming in a savory-packed dish. The usual interpretation of paella is perfect on its own, so adding ingredients that stray from this can change its character. You don't need to compensate for the lack of onions, either. If you want to rely on the flavor profile of aromatics, other ingredients, such as paprika and saffron, do the heavy earthy lifting. That said, many modern versions of the dish add onions. If you want to respect its origins, it's better to skip out on them.

Purists agree that classic paella doesn't need changing. By honoring that, the dish looks like an amalgamation of ingredients, which includes garrofó beans, flat green beans, and tomatoes. There's a debate over whether bell peppers should be included. The punchy flavors the dish is known for — and that are a great way to add flavor to plain rice — come from a mixture of saffron, sweet paprika, and rosemary, making sure to also rely on broth. For proteins, it's usually a choice between seafood and meat (usually chicken and/or rabbit).

For the main attraction, the choice of rice makes or breaks it, which is why it's important to use the right variety. The type of rice you need for traditional paella is bomba, though it can be tricky to work with for first-time paella makers because of how you need to add more liquids. Albufera is a great beginner-friendly alternative. If there's one thing to keep in mind, it's to avoid long-grain rice, which can sacrifice the dish's signature crispness since it has the tendency to remain fluffy and struggle with soaking up all the good stuff. Stick to short grain rice for this dish.

Paella is typically cooked in a modest serving of olive oil, making sure to introduce just enough to avoid creating a soft-textured finish. The entree is sometimes served with a lemon wedge, but it should only be used as a saving grace if the overall result falls short.