I Never Had REAL PAELLA Before... (Valencia, Spain)

OMG I'm so glad you got to experience an authentic paella. It's one of the best dishes we have. Good socarrat (the glazed starch at the bottom of the pan) is to die for. You might already know this, but most Valencians will tell you that real paella has no seafood in it, which is true. The most traditional form of paella has chicken, rabbit, green beans, a local bean called garrofó and sometimes artichokes. It has a different flavor profile but it's just as good if not better. While I'm no purist, I would encourage you to try the original paella recipe, because it's a perfect harmony of flavors and I'm sure you'd like it. Love your videos! Cheers!

My stepdaughter lives in Valencia, and while visiting her, she took me for some “real“ paella. It really was as amazing as you described. I hope you will follow this video up with your experiments on how to prepare it yourself. I would love to learn that.

As a fellow Spaniard, THANK YOU. I've seen countless videos of people thinking they know how to make paella but it's so complex and hard to master. My grandma used to make it every Sunday for the whole family, and this dish is as special to me as the Bourguignon is to you. It just takes me right back to my childhood.

It's always sad when you hear people say they went to Spain, tried paella, and didn't like it. There's so many places serving bad paella, but the reason is simple: it takes a lot of time to do, it's hard to cook and even harder to do it well, so many restaurants do it the lazy way and sell the idea it's just rice with lots of things on top. If you are still in Spain you should try Fideuà as well.

Hi Alex! I knew this day would come!!! And you got it, it is a very technical dish and rice just like wheat, are the most difficult ingredients to master. Please let me help you master the dish I have dedicated more time in my life than anything else I have ever done. I am sure you are going to love the experience. My book Paella will be coming out in a few months and literally I just finished writing it after 2 and a half years on the making so I have ir all fresh in my brain. All the best amigo

I've been following you for years, and honestly, this is the series i've been waiting for the most. Enjoy the paella travel and the lovely caramelized crust called 'socarrat'

I have never realized how much I wanted Alex to make a series about paella until this very moment, as a valencian im so looking forward to this

As a Spaniard myself, this video warms my heart. A quick curiosity I don't think many will know, we tend to tease each other and sort of fight over what should or should not be in a paella, as in some people absolutely despise seafood paella, others say beans are out of the question, and whatnot. Probably because there are thousands and thousands of variants of it, with pretty much every family in the country having their own recipe to their own tastes.

Man, watching you wait all by yourself really puts a note on the social aspect of really enjoying the meals we have here, the “sobremesa” talk that starts when laying the table up to a couple hours after the desserts are finished.

Back in the early 2000s we were on the south coast in Nerja and walked down to the beach where a little restaurant was making Paella over open fires. As it was getting to evening, the local fishermen came in with their catch of assorted Mediterranean langostines, clams, squid, and other assorted sea-life which went pretty much straight from the boat directly into our Paella. The flavors were so clean and rich, and the rice was perfect. It is still to this day on my list of "Top Ten Things I have eaten" .

The most shocking thing for me was also the simplest. That is that the rice was basically in a single layer. In America the pan is filled very nearly to the rim. (My sister made it and there was an overflow pot, yes, gasp, a med saucepan, for the overflow, lol) So you get several bites without any caramelization at all. But here you get that in every single bite.

I just love how respectful Alex is with every gastronomy there is. It doesn't matter where he is, he always finds a way to put it out flawlessly and actually makes me want to try everything he talks about. I am becoming a better cook since I've followed his channel. I actually love cooking and his influence and charisma always hits. I hope, as a Spaniard, to see more content from this beautiful country 😍

As a native valencian I'm glad you enjoyed it. That bottom rice grains have a specific name in Valencian, it's called: "Socarrat" it translates as toasted to point of almost burning it.

As a Valencian, I am exited to see you'll be focusing your next series on our national dish!

I am living in Valencia and swear my boyfriend’s mother paella is out of this world. Valencian people are VERY picky about their paella, and it’s true, once you try one of the good ones, all other paellas feel like a disappointment! I would recommend you try the classic “Paella Valenciana”. I prefer it to the seafood one 🤤

I'm so glad that you bring Spanish food to this channel! I have Spanish roots and I always thought that this cuisine is way too much underestimated! I hope and trust you will make it shine to the right, well deserved level. I can't wait to see your paella serie, and hopefully more videos on typical dishes from Spain (what about croquetas?). Cheers, salut

I'm very glad you enjoyed one of our most beloved dishes and in the best way possible, straight from the real source, as it should be :D

wow looks so damn good. Does make me question every paella I've had

I love that the first thing Alex says getting into the restaurant is "bon dia". Thank you, I hope you enjoyed your time in our beautiful little country. Torna aviat!

Salut Alex, I am happy you went to a proper place in Valencia (where I was born and raised). Sad to see you weren't able to try the traditional paella with chicken and rabbit (and optional snails). Hopefully you will take a stab at the authentic version, because it's a delicacy. Either way, whichever version you try will most likely be great. Enjoy!