Low-Carb Seafood Cauliflower Paella

Ingredients

• pinch of saffron
• ¹/₄ cup (60 ml) water
• 1 large (1 kg/ 2.1 lbs) cauliflower
• ¹/₂ cup extra virgin olive oil (90 ml/ 3 fl oz)
• 1 small red onion, sliced (60 g/ 2.1 oz)
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tbsp tomato paste (45 g/ 1.6 oz)
• 1 tsp paprika
• ¹/₄ to ¹/₂ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ¹/₄ cup chopped parsley (g/oz)
• chile pepper flakes, to taste
• sea salt and pepper, to taste
• 300 g raw mussels (10.6 oz) - will yield about 30% of meat
• 150 g cooked squid rings (5.3 oz)
• 100 g cooked baby octopi or squid (3.5 oz)
• 300 g raw shrimp (prawns) (10.6 oz)
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice (15 ml)
• pinch of sea salt and pepper
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (30 ml)

Instructions

1. First, soak the saffron in ¹/₄ cup (60 ml) of water.
2. To rice the cauliflower, run the cauliflower florets through a hand grater or food processor with the S or the grating blade. Process until the florets resemble grains of rice. Dice the onion and mince the garlic.
3. Prepare the seafood. (You can use pre-cooked seafood or raw seafood - I used a combination of both.) If anything is frozen, make sure it's defrosted first. If you're using peeled cooked mussels, you'll need just 90 g (3.2 oz). If you're using whole fresh mussels with shells, you'll need 300 g (10.6 oz). The raw seafood has to be cooked before adding to the cauliflower rice.
4. In a saucepan or a deep skillet, cook the mussels (check recipe tips for food safety recommendations). Add the mussels to the greased hot skillet and cover with a lid. Shake a couple of times and cook for 4 to 5 minutes. Once cooked, set aside and keep warm.
5. To cook the shrimp (prawns) and any other raw seafood you may be using, squeeze lemon juice over the shrimp and season with salt and pepper. Grease the skillet with half of the olive oil. Add the peeled and deveined shrimp and cook on high for 2 to 3 minutes, turning them half way.
6. Add any of the cooked seafood (in our case squid and octopus) and mix to heat through for just 30 to 60 seconds. Use a slotted spoon and transfer to a bowl and cover with a lid. Set aside and keep warm.
7. Grease the same pan in which you cooked the shrimp with 3 tablespoons (45 ml) of extra virgin olive oil. Add the onion and cook over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the cauliflower rice, soaked saffron with its liquid, tomato paste, paprika, and cayenne pepper. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until the cauliflower is crisp-tender, about 5 to 7 minutes. If needed and the cauliflower is too dry, add a dash of water.
8. Return the cooked shrimp, squid, octopus and mussels to the skillet and cook to heat through for a minute or two.
9. Remove from the heat and add most of the parsley. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil and garnish with more parsley and chile flakes. Serve warm, optionally with lemon wedges, or store in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Nutrition (per serving)