First make the stock. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a pan, add the prawn heads and shells and sauté until they turn pink and start to turn golden. Stir in one of the pasted garlic cloves and cook for 30 seconds. Pour in 1L of vegetable stock, I like Swiss Marigold stock powder. Bring to the boil, add any fish trimmings you might have such as skin, bones or head (ask your fishmonger, rinse them before using). Simmer for 20 minutes then strain ready to use.
To cook the paella: heat the remaining olive in a 26cm paella pan or a similar sized wide pan. Add the chunks of fish and sauté for about five minutes until slightly browned, then remove and set aside (try not to move the pieces around too much as they will break up).
Add the onion and garlic and cook until softened. This bit is important, so take it slowly, add a little water and cover with foil so the onion steams, then remove and cook off the moisture until the onions become sticky. Stir in the smoked paprika and cook for one minute, then add the tomatoes and wine, increase the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes until the mixture is paste like and concentrated. Stir in the squid and beans/peas.
Stir in the rice coating the grains well with the juices. Pour in 800ml stock and the saffron with soaking water. Simmer for 20 minutes then arrange the monkfish, mussels and prawns on the top of the rice, burying them in rice, but don’t stir! Cover with foil and cook for about 10-12 minutes.
The mussels should be opened (discard any that don’t) and the prawns should be pink. If the rice looks a little thirsty, stir in some of the leftover stock to give a rich and creamy finish.
Leave to stand for at least 10 minutes before serving. Finish with chopped parsley and lemon wedges.
On the BBQ- if you have a kettle style BBQ you can cook the paella on it and also introduce a little smoke when you add the fish and shellfish at the end. Simple carry out the recipe as above, then add a handful of soaked fruit woodchips directly on to the coal and shut the lid for 10 -12 minutes to lightly smoke and finish the cooking.
