With just 6 tables in his restaurant, Alejandro Platero ‘s place in Valencia serves what is possibly the most exclusive Valencian paella in Valencia.
This Valencian chef won last September the 1st prize in the category of best paella recipe of the Comunitat in the International Paella Competition in Sueca.
A recognition that has unseated the restaurant’s best-known rice dish, the mellow grilled stew ball with cinnamon and lemon, as the most demanded by customers.
The recipe that Platero presented in Sueca is exactly the same as the one served in the restaurant, except for two ingredients: Sueca’s rules require the inclusion of snails in the recipe (which the restaurant’s recipe does not incorporate due to its low demand among the public) and the use of rosemary is not allowed. On the other hand, the chef does incorporate it in his restaurant recipe along with artichoke when it is in season.
The following lines describe step by step the Valencian paella recipe of Alejandro Platero’ s rice dish so that anyone can emulate it at home or know in detail how it is made before visiting his restaurant in Calle del Poeta Antonino Chocomeli, 6.
Valencian Paella recipe by Alejandro Platero
Ingredients (per person)
- 120 g of chicken
- 80 g of rabbit.
- 25 grams of sautéed natural tomato.
- 2 g of paprika.
- Saffron DOP from La Mancha.
- 30 g of extra virgin olive oil from the cooperative of Viver suave, Espadán.
- ½ artichoke (when in season).
- 70 g of ferradura/roget beans.
- 15 g of garrofó.
- 100 g of J. Sendra DO Valencia rice.
- Salt
- Rosemary
- Garlic
Elaboration of the paella by Alejandro Platero
- Fry the meat: In a paella pan with plenty of oil (30 g per person), fry the chicken and rabbit over low heat until browned on all sides, but do not burn the meat, just brown it.
- Add sofrito and garlic: Once the meat is browned, add the natural tomato for the sofrito and then a finely chopped clove of garlic. Fry a little more and add the paprika, integrating it well with the meat and the sofrito.
- Prepare the broth: For the broth, use the same amount of water as rice, plus evaporation. This will depend on the size of the paella and the fire. Normally, it is calculated between two or three times the amount of water for each part of rice, but if the fire is very powerful, as in the case of the restaurant, it can be up to five or seven times. Boil the water with the sofrito and the meat for about 40 minutes until it reduces to the desired water level (step 6).
- Add vegetables and saffron: In the last 25 minutes of preparation of the broth, add the vegetables (ferradura/roget bean and garrofó) and saffron.
- Infuse the rosemary: Infuse the rosemary for 2 minutes in a strainer in the broth. This way, the leaves do not dissolve and stick to the rice.
- Cook the rice: When the broth is ready or has reached our reference mark, add the J. Sendra DO Valencia rice and cook for 15 minutes.
- Create the socarrat: In minute 14, raise the heat to maximum for 30-40 seconds to get the socarrat. Remember! The rice must have absorbed the fat and be almost dry.
- Resting the paella: After 15 minutes, let the paella rest for 2-3 minutes before serving or eating directly from it.
About the Sueca International Valencian Paella Competition
In the 63rd edition of the International Valencian Paella Competition of Sueca, held in September 2024, the first prize was awarded to the restaurant Miguel y Juani from L’Alcúdia (Valencia), run by chef Paco Rodríguez and his assistant Rafael Climent, who were consecrated with the “best paella in the world”.
In other categories, the award for the best paella cooked by a national restaurant went to El Muelle del Barrio Pesquero, from Santander; the best paella in the Valencian Community was prepared by Alejandro Platero Restaurante, from Valencia; and the best international paella was awarded to Simply Spanish, from Australia. Finally, the award for the best local paella went to Restaurante Llopis, from Sueca.