Grilled Seafood and Chorizo Paella with Allioli

Ingredients

• 2 pounds ripe tomatoes, cut in half
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 5 teaspoons sweet Spanish paprika*
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 4 cups Spanish Valenciano or Arborio rice
• 24 mussels, scrubbed, beards pulled off
• 24 small littleneck clams, scrubbed
• 24 shelled, deveined medium shrimp with tails (3/4 pound; 36 to 42 per pound)
• 1 1/4 pounds fully cured or semicured Spanish chorizo, cut into thin diagonal slices
• 1 teaspoon saffron threads
• 9 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth, divided
• 2 cups dry white wine
• 7 tablespoons olive oil, divided (for grilling)
• Coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
• Allioli

Preparation

1. Coarsely grate tomatoes into a bowl and discard skins. Put onion and bell peppers in another bowl. Measure garlic, paprika, and salt into a small bowl. Put rice, seafood, and chorizo each in a separate bowl.
2. Toast saffron in a large saucepan over medium heat, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add 6 cups broth and the wine, cover, bring to a boil, and keep hot. In a small saucepan, boil remaining broth; keep hot.
3. Heat grill to medium (350° to 450°). Bring prepped ingredients to grill, along with a long-handled wooden spoon, a slotted spoon, and oven mitts. For charcoal add 15 briquets to fire just before cooking and cook with lid off until adding seafood. For gas keep lid closed as you cook.
4. Heat a 17-in. paella pan on grill. Add 3 tbsp. oil to pan, then brown chorizo, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer chorizo back to bowl.
5. Sauté onion and peppers in pan until onion is softened, 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and cook, stirring often, until liquid evaporates and paste turns a shade darker, 10 to 12 minutes. Stir in the remaining 1/4 cup oil and the garlic mixture; cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Stir in rice, then pat it level.
6. Carefully pour hot saffron liquid over rice and scatter chorizo on top. Adjust position of grill if necessary so grill and liquid in pan are level. Maintain a steady simmer for 12 minutes, reducing heat (for gas) or airflow through vents (for charcoal grill) if needed.
7. Pour enough hot plain broth over paella so rice is just covered. Arrange mussels around rim of pan, almost touching, pushing them into liquid. Distribute remaining seafood over paella.
8. Cover grill. Cook until clams and mussels open and rice is al punto (al dente), 6 to 10 minutes. Remove paella from grill, drape with paper towels, and let stand about 5 minutes. Scatter parsley on top. Serve with the allioli.
9. *Find sweet (unsmoked) Spanish paprika in the spice aisle or at spanishtable.com
10. Note: Nutritional analysis is per serving.