Grilled shellfish and chicken
Here’s a summer entertaining menu that keeps things easy for the cook. The paella, served with grilled chicken and shellfish, is adapted to serve at room temperature. That means all the cooking is done in advance without compromising the dish.
Long-grain rice works best for the paella, rather than traditional short grain or Arborio rice, which in testing became unpleasantly thick and clumpy on standing.
I like to grill chicken legs and three varieties of shellfish for paella; they make for an inviting dish. But you can simplify this selection to your taste. You can also substitute a spicy sausage for the chicken and/or calamari in the seafood mix.
The rest of the meal? Melon with prosciutto or guacamole with chips work here with drinks. A salad of thinly sliced pickling cucumbers tossed in seasoned rice vinegar and chives is just the kind of refreshing, crunchy salad that paella requires. Crusty bread and butter. And a simple summer dessert, fresh peach melba. The raspberry sauce is actually the melba; here, it tops sliced peaches and vanilla ice cream.
Mandel is a cookbook author.
Combine the oil, parsley, oregano, lemon juice, wine and garlic in a bowl.
Place the chicken legs in a plastic food bag; add 1/3 cup of the oil mixture. Marinate in the refrigerator at least 4 hours or overnight. Let come to room temperature before grilling.
Soak the clams and mussels in cold water to cover with 2 teaspoons salt for 30 minutes to purge any sand inside their shells. Rinse in cold water; keep chilled until cooking time.
Spray a barbecue grate (and grilling plate or basket if needed to keep small items from falling through grate) with cooking spray. Heat the grill to medium.
Remove the chicken from the marinade (discard marinade), sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste and grill until cooked as desired; the juices should run clear when the chicken is pricked with a fork, about 35 to 40 minutes. Grill the shrimp, clams and mussels in separate batches as they have different (but quick) timing. Grill shrimp, turning once, until just opaque, about 1 to 2 minutes total; do not overcook. Grill the clams until most shells open, about 4 to 5 minutes (discard any that do not open); grill the mussels until the shells open, about 3 minutes (discard any that do not open). As each batch of shellfish is grilled, put in its own bowl. While still hot, toss with about 3 tablespoons of the oil mixture. (They can be grilled a couple of hours ahead and kept at room temperature.)
To serve, mound each in separate groups on large platter. Garnish the platter with lime wedges and herb sprigs.
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