Seafood Paella

758 Calories, 404 mg sodium, 193 mg cholesterol, 25 g fat, 85 g carbohydrates, 53 g protein, 2.8 g fiber

• Ready In: 1 hr 20 mins
• Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 2 (10 ounce) packages  fideos, broken into about 1/2-in lengths (rolled vermicelli noodles)
•  olive oil
• 1 1⁄2 lbs  new zealand mussels (green-tipped)
• 1 1⁄2 lbs  black mussels
• 1 1⁄2 lbs manila clams
• 3⁄4 lb  calamari
• 1⁄2 lb  rock shrimp
• 2  lobsters
• 1  onion, coarsely diced
• 3  garlic cloves, minced
• 1  red bell pepper, cut to 1/2-in . dice
• 1  green bell pepper, cut to 1/2-in . dice
• 1  yellow bell pepper, cut to 1/2-in . dice
• 1  ancho chili, dried
• 8 -9  cups  lobster stock
• 3⁄4 lb  english-petit peas, shelled (fresh or frozen)
• 1  lemon
• 1  bunch chives
• 2  teaspoons  hot sauce (optional)

Directions

1. Toasting the Noodles -
2. Spread lengths of fideos on large baking sheet (or pans) and drizzle ¼ cup olive oil over top. Mix noodles and oil evenly so noodles are coated all around.
3. Toast in oven at 350 degrees until noodles turn medium brown in color (8-10 minutes). You may have to stir noodles occasionally during cooking to ensure even toasting.
4. Preparing the Seafood –
5. Clean Mussels and clams by brushing them under cold water and pulling off beards from mussels if necessary. Set Aside.
6. Clean calamari by removing cartilage and cutting body into ½-in. strips. Set aside.
7. Clean and de-vein rock shrimp. Set aside.
8. Rinse lobsters and remove claws and knuckles. Cut lobster tails with shells into medallions (take advantage of natural separations and use a sharp serrated knife).
9. Making the Paella: allow 35 minutes cooking at party with guests -
10. Heat ¼ cup olive oil in large paella pan or turkey roaster over med.-high heat. Add onions and sauté 3-5 minutes. Add green/red/yellow peppers along w/ whole ancho chile and sauté 3-5 minutes.
11. Add toasted noodles and 3 cups hot stock and cook, stirring constantly 3-5 minutes or until noodles absorb most of liquid.
12. Add New Zealand (large) mussels and lobster claws (if uncooked; may also be poached in Lobster Stock, then added at end of cooking to warm through) along with 3 cups additional stock and bury shellfish under noodles for faster cooking (be careful; lots of steam). Maintain watch over pan, stirring as needed to prevent noodles from sticking. Add 1-2 cups more stock as needed during cooking when noodles absorb liquid.
13. After 5-8 minutes cooking large mussels, add smaller black mussels and clams, burying them under noodles like larger ones, stirring and adding stock as needed.
14. When some of shellfish begins to open, about 10 minutes after adding small mussels and clams, add shrimp, calamari, lobster tail meat (and claws if lobsters were cooked previously in lobster stock), peas, and 1-2 cups additional stock. Cook, stirring until almost all seafood shells have opened and noodles have absorbed most of stock (it should not be dry), 3-5 more minutes.
15. Discard any shellfish that have not opened, add lemon wedges on side of pan, sprinkle generously with chives and serve family-style in pan.