All ingredients ready? Let's begin!
Soak the saffron in four tablespoons of warm water until it is later needed.
Heat a large flat-bottomed skillet or pan containing four tablespoons of olive or vegetable oil over medium-high heat.
Season and sear the hake cubes for 2 to 3 minutes per side or until lightly browned. Remove and set aside.
In the same pan, season and sear the calamari and prawn meat in a little oil for 2 to 3 minutes or until it develops color but isn't completely cooked yet. Remove and set aside.
Season the chicken thighs with salt and black pepper before using the same pan to sear them for 4 to 6 minutes a side or until browned and sealed.
Move the seared thighs aside to clear space in your pan for starting the sofrito.
Add the infused garlic oil and chopped red peppers. Saute for 2 to 3 minutes or until tender.
Add the chopped scallions and saute for 1 to 2 minutes or until aromatic. Add the green beans and artichoke hearts and saute for 2 minutes while stirring frequently.
Add the chopped tomatoes and smoked paprika, reduce the heat to low, and saute for 3 to 5 minutes or until the tomatoes become mushy.
Mix in the rice and toast lightly while frequently stirring before adding in the saffron and the fish, vegetable, or chicken stock.
Season with a teaspoon of salt and freshly ground black pepper, cover, and allow to simmer.
While the rice cooks, steam the mussels in a saucepan over high heat containing a quarter cup of dry white wine and a tablespoon of lemon juice for approximately 3 minutes or until they open and set them aside. Discard any mussels that do not open.
Pour the wine that you simmered the mussels in over your paella and allow it to continue simmering, covered, for 5 minutes.
Open the lid and carefully work the prawn meat, calamari, and hake chunks into your paella while taking extreme care not to disturb the bottom of the skillet. Arrange the opened mussel shells around the perimeter of your pan neatly.
Cover, reduce the heat to as low as possible and simmer for a further 5 to 7 minutes.
Remove the lid, crank up the heat to medium-high and simmer uncovered for approximately 5 minutes or until the last of the moisture has cooked away.
Listen carefully for the sound of the rice crackling and popping at the bottom of the pan. When you hear this sound starting, the socarrat is forming, and your paella is under 30 seconds from done. Don't let it toast for too long, or it'll burn.
Allow your paella to rest for 10 minutes and then serve.