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Paella: The Original One-Pan Dish: Over 50 Recipes for the Spanish Classic
With beautiful photography throughout and straightforward, step-by-step instructions, Paella is a joy to cook from and an essential for every kitchen shelf.
Chef Omar Allibhoy unveils the insider knowledge and tips you need to produce a perfect panful of glorious tastes and textures. He starts with a "how to" guide taking you through all the basic techniques and ingredients, and then offers over 50 easy-to-follow recipes – from the classic chicken and rabbit, to black seafood paella with squid and tiger prawns, through oxtail paella, and vegetarian and vegan options including wild mushroom and Jerusalem artichoke paella.
Paella is the world's most famous and beloved Spanish dish. The ultimate one-pan feast, this generous, colorful creation dates back centuries and has countless variations. There's something here for every occasion, whether it's a simpler version for a quick midweek supper or a more special, celebratory paella.
Chef Omar Allibhoy unveils the insider knowledge and tips you need to produce a perfect panful of glorious tastes and textures. He starts with a "how to" guide taking you through all the basic techniques and ingredients, and then offers over 50 easy-to-follow recipes – from the classic chicken and rabbit, to black seafood paella with squid and tiger prawns, through oxtail paella, and vegetarian and vegan options including wild mushroom and Jerusalem artichoke paella.
Paella is the world's most famous and beloved Spanish dish. The ultimate one-pan feast, this generous, colorful creation dates back centuries and has countless variations. There's something here for every occasion, whether it's a simpler version for a quick midweek supper or a more special, celebratory paella.
176 pages, Hardcover
Published July 18, 2023
18 people are currently reading
40 people want to read
About the author
Omar Allibhoy
8 books1 followerTalented Spanish chef Omar Allibhoy is creating a buzz within the UK food scene and has much to celebrate. The owner of the critically acclaimed Tapas Revolution, he also published a hugely successful cookbook, also called Tapas Revolution, which became the fastest selling Spanish cookbook of 2013. In 2016, he released his second book Spanish Made Simple, a best-seller for consecutive weeks on Amazon.
Born in Madrid and trained by the legendary Ferran Adria of El Bulli, Omar arrived in the UK in 2008 to take over the reins at El Pirata Detapas in West London, quickly establishing it as one of London’s best tapas restaurants and winning rave reviews. Whilst there, he was featured on Channel 4’s ‘Ramsay’s Best Restaurant’, and Omar’s reputation as the ‘Antonio Banderas of cooking’ was born.
Before starting out on his own, Omar decided to put Tapas on the map, literally daubing a T for Tapas on the map of England, before setting out on his motorbike for two weeks, cooking for everyone he met along the way.
The trip was a great success, causing nothing short of a sensation back in Spain, where they called him a ‘crusader for Spanish food and culture’. In the UK, the trip showed Omar that people around the country loved his simple and easy style of Spanish cooking and he came back with a new determination to keep bringing Tapas to the people.
In 2010 he opened his first Tapas Revolution at Westfield Shepherd’s Bush to rave reviews, with the Guardian’s John Lanchester saying ‘I can’t recommend Tapas Revolution highly enough … ideal for real tapas-type eating’ and Tom Barker Bowles describing it as ‘a step above’ in the Mail on Sunday.
As well as running a successful business, Omar has won several awards and maintained a career as a successful TV chef; In 2010 he was shortlisted for the OFM Young Chef of the Year awards, shortly before opening his first Tapas Revolution, won Caterer and Hotelkeeper’s Acorn Award for ‘Rising Star’ in 2012 and was British Travel & Hospitality Hall of Fame Young Entrepreneur Award in 2015. His illustrious career has been accompanied by several appearances on popular television, including Sunday Brunch, The One Show, This Morning and Masterchef.
Born in Madrid and trained by the legendary Ferran Adria of El Bulli, Omar arrived in the UK in 2008 to take over the reins at El Pirata Detapas in West London, quickly establishing it as one of London’s best tapas restaurants and winning rave reviews. Whilst there, he was featured on Channel 4’s ‘Ramsay’s Best Restaurant’, and Omar’s reputation as the ‘Antonio Banderas of cooking’ was born.
Before starting out on his own, Omar decided to put Tapas on the map, literally daubing a T for Tapas on the map of England, before setting out on his motorbike for two weeks, cooking for everyone he met along the way.
The trip was a great success, causing nothing short of a sensation back in Spain, where they called him a ‘crusader for Spanish food and culture’. In the UK, the trip showed Omar that people around the country loved his simple and easy style of Spanish cooking and he came back with a new determination to keep bringing Tapas to the people.
In 2010 he opened his first Tapas Revolution at Westfield Shepherd’s Bush to rave reviews, with the Guardian’s John Lanchester saying ‘I can’t recommend Tapas Revolution highly enough … ideal for real tapas-type eating’ and Tom Barker Bowles describing it as ‘a step above’ in the Mail on Sunday.
As well as running a successful business, Omar has won several awards and maintained a career as a successful TV chef; In 2010 he was shortlisted for the OFM Young Chef of the Year awards, shortly before opening his first Tapas Revolution, won Caterer and Hotelkeeper’s Acorn Award for ‘Rising Star’ in 2012 and was British Travel & Hospitality Hall of Fame Young Entrepreneur Award in 2015. His illustrious career has been accompanied by several appearances on popular television, including Sunday Brunch, The One Show, This Morning and Masterchef.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
December 20, 2025
Sunlit, Safe, Slightly Too Polite 🥘☀️
The cover is gorgeous (just my taste)— all sunny confidence — and for a moment you think this book might actually go there. And sometimes it does: the seafood paellas are the clear stars (lush, briny, properly celebratory), and the pear moment genuinely surprised me in the best way. I wanted more of that energy — that “wait, why is this working?” modern twist that nudges paella into new territory without turning it into a gimmick.
But overall, the book plays it safe. There are solid veggie options (and I did reach for them), yet I kept wishing for more globally-minded, contemporary pivots — less classic comfort, more daring. Meanwhile the meat section is… a lot of wings and bony cuts. I get it: marrow, depth, stock-building logic. Personally? I hate digging through bones in rice from a pan. That’s not a flaw, it’s my tolerance threshold screaming. What surprised me most: the stocks and broths. I’m usually indifferent to “basic foundations,” but here I actually picked up a few Spanish-leaning tricks I’ll reuse — and that alone earns this book some real kitchen value.
The author notes are present for every dish, mostly standard cookbook warmth, but they do add a human voice and keep it from reading like a sterile manual. Also: fideuà gets a seat at the table (technically not paella, but close enough to count as a fun cousin)… and again, I wanted more cousins. More risk. More curveballs.
The visual side is a mixed blessing: when there are photos, they’re clean, appetizing, and accurately styled — aesthetically on point. But not every dish is photographed, and I hate that. For a book this vibe-driven, missing images of dishes feels like leaving money on the table.
Verdict: 3.5 / 5. Beautifully presented and genuinely useful (hello, stocks), with standout seafood — but it needs more bravery. Give me more pear-level chaos.
#PaellaButMakeItBolder #BonesInRiceNoThanks #PrettyButTooSafe
The cover is gorgeous (just my taste)— all sunny confidence — and for a moment you think this book might actually go there. And sometimes it does: the seafood paellas are the clear stars (lush, briny, properly celebratory), and the pear moment genuinely surprised me in the best way. I wanted more of that energy — that “wait, why is this working?” modern twist that nudges paella into new territory without turning it into a gimmick.
But overall, the book plays it safe. There are solid veggie options (and I did reach for them), yet I kept wishing for more globally-minded, contemporary pivots — less classic comfort, more daring. Meanwhile the meat section is… a lot of wings and bony cuts. I get it: marrow, depth, stock-building logic. Personally? I hate digging through bones in rice from a pan. That’s not a flaw, it’s my tolerance threshold screaming. What surprised me most: the stocks and broths. I’m usually indifferent to “basic foundations,” but here I actually picked up a few Spanish-leaning tricks I’ll reuse — and that alone earns this book some real kitchen value.
The author notes are present for every dish, mostly standard cookbook warmth, but they do add a human voice and keep it from reading like a sterile manual. Also: fideuà gets a seat at the table (technically not paella, but close enough to count as a fun cousin)… and again, I wanted more cousins. More risk. More curveballs.
The visual side is a mixed blessing: when there are photos, they’re clean, appetizing, and accurately styled — aesthetically on point. But not every dish is photographed, and I hate that. For a book this vibe-driven, missing images of dishes feels like leaving money on the table.
Verdict: 3.5 / 5. Beautifully presented and genuinely useful (hello, stocks), with standout seafood — but it needs more bravery. Give me more pear-level chaos.
#PaellaButMakeItBolder #BonesInRiceNoThanks #PrettyButTooSafe
Displaying 1 of 1 review