Hello Summer! Grilled Shrimp Paella

This past weekend I stopped by a garage sale for the historic Cannery Restaurant which recently closed down. This was a classic fine-dining seafood restaurant situated in Port Vancouver and so it is sad news that they were forced to close their doors after serving Vancouverites since 1971.


At the sale I managed to pick up a massive, beautiful old beat-up stainless-steel pan (pictured above) for a measly two dollars! I also bought a mini-version of the same pan for the same price. So even though I regret to say I never ate at this historic restaurant, I can now continue its legacy by cooking for my own family with this beautiful old pan. Hopefully the wisdom of past chefs who used it to prepare countless fabulous meals will now be passed into my home.


My husband Kelly used the pan last night to made an awesome paella. It was a perfect meal for a warm summer evening on the patio and so I thought I'd share it, with his permission of course. He followed a recipe but really one is not needed, just follow the simple instructions and ingredients suggested here.

Nonetheless here is the recipe he followed. The original recipe called for lobster which seemed a bit extravagant and labour intensive for a weeknight and so we substituted in shrimp. Any seafood of your choosing would make a great addition. 

Paella (serves 6)
adapted from bon appetit July 2011


1/2 cup olive oil
3/4 lb chorizo sausage sliced into 12/" rounds
2 leeks, finely chopped (white and light green parts only)
2 cups frozen peas, thawed
1 Tbsp smoked paprika
21/2 cups short-grain rice
1/4 tsp saffron threads
7 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsely
3 halved lemons
Salt to taste


Preheat BBQ. Cook olive oil until hot and then add leeks and chorizo and cook until soft (3-4 minutes). Add rice, paprika, saffron and stock. Let cook, undisturbed until rice begins to absorb liquid, about 10 minutes. Turn pan every few minutes to cook evenly. Next, add the shrimp and evenly distribute in the pan and cook for another 10 minutes or so. Add thawed peas. Once fully cooked, remove from grill and let rest for 5 minutes to cool. Garnish with parsely and lemon juice.