Pro Chef Reacts.. To Alex's Seafood Paella!  

Happy holidays guys! I hope all of you are doing well and I hope you enjoy this video! :)

You know how good Alex is when James did zero corrections on his method. D: Hats off.

i love Alex's attention and respect to details about traditional dishes. there is a reason why certain things have been done a certain way for centuries.

You should do more reaction videos from Alex. I think you will enjoy it. He is like a combination of a mad scientist and a chef in the best way possible.

The best Paella I had was in Bossost, Spain in 2018. I was traveling via car from Barcelona to Lourdes, and I had to stop at Bossost since they closed down the roads there due to the Tour de France passing through later in the day, I was stuck there and had to wait for hours so I thought I'd eat at a local diner to pass the time, and it was at this diner where they brought out a smokey, rustic Paella good for 2 people, and it had flavors I cannot get out of my head, and that basically changed how I viewed paella, all while watching the tour de France pass by. I love happy accidents and this was one for the books, so don't be afraid to get lost sometimes.

What I like about these videos is the genuine joy, big smile eyes lighting up when you see other people trying new foods or talking about dishes they love. It's like you experience that food all over again for the first time through their eyes. Happy holidays.

When he said “the most important thing is to keep trying until you get it right” it gave me a traumatic flashback to the 65 times I tried and failed to make a perfect sourdough loaf without access to high protein flour 😂😂😂 finally after all of those failures I’ve figured out how to make a moderately ok loaf 😂😂😂

I like Alex, he is so thorough, borderline obsessive in his research, but he rarely miss a detail. Thanks for reviewing his Paella recipe.

I really like Alex's passion and attitude. He can make a mistake, and try again. He keeps trying over and over until he gets it right. Absolutely love that. He gives hope to an old fry cook like me that there is still things to learn and that I can be more than an old washed out fry cook that walked away to be an IT guy.

Hey, James! Have a great Christmas and an amazing year! Yesterday I was put in charge by a charity - without prior notice! - of feeding 80 people who are poor and have no family. Though the food had been cooked in advance, much of it was still frozen three hours before. I ended up doing more management of ovens and timing, dispatching tasks and setting the chain to bring out the plates, giving breaks, and responding to complaints, questions, all the while being the sauce guy at the end of the process before sending out the plates. It was an amazing and very educational experience. It’s like a game of Tetris with space, people and food! I loved it. When I left I was spent but happy everybody had been fed. It was no elegant meal but the satisfaction comes from the smiling faces. Running a kitchen is much more than just about the food. Shout out to you and all professionals who do this. When I arrived at my Mom’s for Christmas Eve dinner, I was happy that the only thing I had to do was to make the sauce for the lamb… Cheers! Love your channel!

Hahaha Alex just eating the whole thing himself was absolutely brilliant to watch. I do enjoy cooking and entertaining and I completely relate to his high upon nailing that recipe. Very few other activities bring me such joy!

Excellent comments. Usually I don't like reaction videos, but here you have contributed with lots of useful information. Thank you.

I really connect to Alex's point to keep trying and you'll get it eventually. Over 2 years ago I started learning how to make pizza at home, I decided to take mine in a Napolitan direction. There was a lot of fussing, learning (like that my measuring jug is incorrect. I thought I was adding 700 ml of water but I was adding 650. It's old, so I guess the plastic shrunk or something), experimenting (different flours, temperatures, oven modes) and being disappointed. But now, after finally getting it right, I probably make the best pizza in the city (considering that I don't have access to a fancy oven). I find it hard to order pizza, since I pretty much know mine is better. I know it's cocky to say something like that, but I think I earned it. I've had friends demolish my pizza on my birthday, never saw people eat pizza that fast.

From a spanish person, this looks amazing!😍

I've been to Bilbao to visit a friend this summer, holy moly paella is a whole different thing. We usually tend to overcomplicate recipes, my mum's friend made it so effortlessly with leftover meats and vegetables. I tried to make it at home with salsiccia and peppers it was amazing!

Spanish cooking is unmatched in its colour and character

Visited Madrid in 2011, tried to go to El Barraca for paella, didn't have a reservation and they were booked solid, they recommended another place down the street. As we were walking out an American woman who lived in Madrid suggested we go to the same place, so we felt good walking down to La Paella de la Reina, where we had a SPECTACULAR meal.

My first paella was an okay tourist one in Málaga when I was in college, but I have now had ample opportunities to correct that early blunder. My wife is a professor who has been teaching summers in Vàlencia for the past five years. We have had numerous rice dishes in the city and the region and to the south in Alicante. And we have learned a good deal over the years about las paellas verdaderas.

Love you both, it's nice to see how respectful and great paella cookers you are thanks from Spain! We need you guys! Merci!!

Great job both of you. I like that you are pragmatic and accept that people can make variations to the recipe while highlighting what matters and why.

Excellent video! How can a foody not be impress by Alex! This guy is passionate. I love that he doesn't cut corners.

Always see your videos and see you changing everyday. Love your personality, respect for everyone. Keep growing and spread humanity.

Californian living in Barcelona here. There are indeed many tourist-trap paella joints, but I recommend the senyoret paella or fideuá (like paella but with fideo noodles instead of rice) at L'Estupendu on the waterfront in Badalona; squid ink paella at Camping Mar; or paella de marisco at Martinez. If you find yourself near Valencia, I recommend the paella valenciana (chicken, rabbit, snails, white beans, green beans) at Restaurante Blayet next to the Albufera swamp.

Love how you explain everything so well, and make it easier to follow many thanks

Alex is def my favorite food youtuber. Always does the dish and culture justice

I saw Alex's video when it came out...I'm really glad you had a look at it too. LOVE paella! I need to get to Spain sometime...it's been one of my bucket-list destinations for decades. Oh...and Merry Christmas to you and all the subscribers!

Always excited to see Alex's videos being reacted to

Tres bien! Multilingual! Este se convierte en uno de mis reviews favoritos por la mezcla de culturas. Also I learned more details of what I saw weeks ago from Alex video! Coming from an english speaking chef who lives in Spain reviewing a french guy cooking paella! I liked that! Saludos!

Thanks for the great content! Alex is great and you both are so knowledgeable and personable.

You’re so enigmatic with your random smiles when reacting

My son lives in Barcelona so yes I have been to Spain. I have had paella there, although my father also used to make it at home for special occasions. In addition to the paella I have had many other dishes there especially seafood which I love dearly. I tried razor clams for the first time there and could not believe how delicious they were. Love the ham and chorizo so much. Some of the best meals I've had were nothing more than some fresh bread, chorizo and some ham. I have also tried the calçot and patatas brava. I have also had Callos and loved them. Am looking forward to visiting again. What I didn't (haven't) find/found is a place in Barcelona that specializes in suckling pig. Plenty of pork products but no actual roast pig.

I've been looking forward to this after seeing your other paella reactions! I should really try to make one myself

I love Alex and how he does loads of research.

Hey! I'm from Spain. I made paella several times and I can tell you it's perfectly fine if the rice is a bit burnt on the bottom, it's called "socarrat" and it's considered a good thing. Not saying you should burn all the rice but having it a little bit black at the bottom is ok

You are great. Glad I found this video. Thank you for your input and expertise.

Hi James, This was so much fun to watch ! What makes paella so special in Valencia is that they use orange wood for the fire which gives it that smoky kinda flavour. Alex was very clever to use the beards of the coquilles st jaqcues for his broth ( is probably the reason why he ate it all ) to give it that umami. And the soccarat ...ah well ....there is nothing else, no ? 😉

I usually don't dig reaction videos, but you have the best demeanor and approach to cooking. Props. New subscriber. What a good video.

I've been wanting to make paella and your video was fantastic! Alex's paella looked delicious and he provided a lot of information. That along with your excellent tips and cooking instructions is going to be a great help when I attempt to make it. Looking forward to your next video Chef. Keep up the great work!

I love this stuff. I'm learning so much!!

Hey, a little hi from France ! I usually don't comment on your videos even though I love them but damn my little heart just melted when you left a little message in french! Just goes to show how much effort you out into making these videos ^^ Anyway thank you for your great work and keep it up

James! I’ve been watching your videos in bed for awhile but haven’t commented. can’t believe what a gem in the rough your channel is! you’re gonna blow up soon! 2023 is gonna be your year. amazing content and i learn so much from it. after school ends this spring i plan to dive into cooking more deeply and your course is a place i want to start! mad props!! thanks for making the content!!

I love Alex’s enthusiasm. I made this for Christmas Eve last year , now I’ll have to do it for New Years! Yum (I do like a bit more crisp bottom socarrat than Alex does when making mine). If in NYC try the restaurants “socarrat” for excellent made to order Paella. They have three locations though their hours are more limited than previously.

A delightful video on Christmas morning. More videos like this, please.

My two most favourite RU-vid cooks and my most favourite dish in one video….I’m in heaven 💖

Alex is wonderful and so are you. Happy holidays!

Paella also means pan in general in catalan, not just the one used for the paella dish.

Fantastic reaction and fantastic Paella Chef! Wishing you and your family a wonderful 2023 (you'll be at 1 million subs by this time next year).

I was hoping to see you reviewing this video! great work bro

an absolute delight as always chef! :D

Been waiting for this one!! Woot! Woot!

I have been looking forward to this one. Glad to see he got it right.

Love your vids, Happy holidays!

Happy holidays chef! I went to Madrid last September and I had a food blast! Spent so much time at Mercado san Miguel and Calle de cava baja enjoying tapas, Churros, Vermouth and jamon iberico (all in no coherent order I must confess) and so much more! It's so cool that you cover Alex's video, since he's one of the most attentive to authenticity of all the youtube chefs so far. Can't wait to go back to Spain to discover more great food!

Thank you for the video and merry christmas!

My father was from Madrid. His mother taught my mother and now I make it mostly for Christmas. Not exactly the same but the bases are. Thank you!

Fantastic video! Love both chefs

Great video as always! Happy holidays!

Excellent Video. There's been a reason I've been holding off on making this LOL... I like how detailed it got into. Would love to try it sometime on the open fire. Great job on this!

I had paella with my basque family. Yum. I also love the paella made here at the Boise basque block

James further to my comment about Alex’s video on paella, here are the Ten Commandments off paella Valenciana. Anything else is called a “Arroz com ????. The Ten are the following: Rabbit, chicken, water, olive oil, flat green beans (bajoquetas), White beans (large ones called garrofó), tomato, rice, salt and saffron. The dictionary says that a Paella is the PAN or any dish cooked in the pan (the pan’s true nomenclature is “PAELLA). Therefore, a dish made with bomba rice, shrimp, etc is a “Arroz com camaronês, but it is not a paella valenciana. by the way I speak, read, and write fluently in English, French, Portuguese and Spanish and I speak Dutch quite well as I do in Italian and Catalan. Salud, Greg from Rio

Excellent french. As a french (second language) canadian. That was pretty good. I love both yours and alex's channels. I always learn things, which I appreciate. Take care everyone.

My favorite paella was at the CCCO Mayday picnic in Valencia. It had caracoles that had thin shells you could open with your teeth!

Chef i appreciate your hard work And happy holidays to you

James - I only discovered your channel today, via Lorenzo's review, of your review of LorenzosPlate mushroom risotto (speaking of 'convoluted'). I have been following both LorenzosPlate and Alex, FGC, for a few years, but oddly, this is the first I've really come to know of you. I love your content, have subscribed and will be following, delving into your past content as well. You have a very interesting blend of accents. I can pick out bits from every country that you have said you have cooked and lived in. Very odd, but very pleasant. I first had Paella about 50 years ago, made by a woman from Argentina, in much the way that Alex, and Casa Carmela have done, with a few differences. She did have a very broad paella pan, that was ceramic coated cast iron, about 2 foot in diameter. So large, that she, more or less, moved it around the largest burner on the stove, pretty frequently, particularly at the finish. She made various types of paella, but most often, of seafood (as most popular in the home), of whatever we caught that day (or the day before), supplemented by what was fine at our local fishmonger. Fluke or flounder, along with clams, mussels and oysters we brought, supplemented by squid, shrimp, lobster and whatever freshest at market. She would do the same, making a stock of all the bones and shells of all of it, and pre-cooked the seafood (but for the most tender bits), before beginning the dish, which was an hours long process, just as witnessed here. She used short grain rice (standard), and saffron, just as Alex, but since she was feeding a table of 8-12 mouths, her quantity, and thus, thickness of the rice, was a bit more generous. Still, the rice was cooked in much the same manner, al dente, with just a gently caramelized crust on the bottom. Most times, she would just caramelize one side of such dedicates from the sea, adding them last minute, seared side up, for the heat of the rice to finish cooking them, at the table. There was always a vegetable component, aside from the stock, usually of carrots, onions and celery, or sometimes peas, or whatever the garden offered, but always pre-cooked, to a good sear and cooked individually, reserved for the last minute inclusion, and none cut larger than a grain of rice, but for the peas, on all accounts, fresh from the garden, just tossed on top to be warmed. I was about 16 at the time, and was her willing helper, so I had a reasonable knowledge of how to pull the dish off, which I did several times, come the future, but I haven't made it for at least a decade now. Back in those days, large, head on shrimp, were rare and hard to come by, but nowadays, I can (and often do) buy them for about $7 USD per pound, wild caught off Ecuador, so, fairly local to New York, where I am and from. She would use that same paella pan, to make large, pretty fancy, fruit tarts, of a short crust, of whatever fruit was in season. Of course, the tarts didn't taste of paella, being one of the advantages of ceramic clad cast iron, altho, we could only have one or the other, of any particular evening. I do have a carbon steel pan as Alex used, and as well, one a bit larger. I also have many cast iron pans and such, including a ceramic glazed one, about 2 foot wide, but I've been afraid that it would be too shallow for a paella, as thick as were what I was raised on (but still, good for large fruit tarts). I got it at a garage sale for 2 bucks, with no chips to it. Point being, now that I see how Alex and Casa Carmela have done, I bet I could pull it off in that pan, so I am sniffing a paella in my near future, seafood, of course. Thank you, Alex and Vincenzo, all.

James, Enjoy your channel very much! Looking forward to viewing more in the coming year!🥰

Great job!.I loved this video. Thank you so much.

We say "tiene buena pinta, mejor sabrá". Congratulations, your comments are very accurate.

Great video. Happy holidays chef.

amazing food... Merry Christmas James...

When I was a child I spent 3 years living in Calpe, southern Spain. I was lucky enough to live on the coast, and the seafood paellas were lovely.

Hi, i am from Valencia, paella is such an amazing dish..., every Sunday here, my dad sometimes and my mother in law another, do Paella, every Sunday! Is a tradition here, all family eating around Paella, and the secret about this, apart from a good fumet, the correct rice, etc....is the art of controlling wood fire 🔥. Socarrat is an art. Sometime I did one by myself, guided by my olders. I am so lucky I can taste it every weekend. I have to say that Valencian Paella is made with chicken and rabbit, chicken liver, and "bachoqueta and garrofón" for the vegetable part. And is so common to add snails on it.

Just bought my first paella (pan) yesterday. Excited to use it. Will be a nice change to my usual Jambalaya.

I will add just one thing to the name of the dish and the instrument. The Pan in Catalan (so I think in Valencian is the same, are the same language, call it by the name u like more) is paella. Not that there is an special pan that goes by that name, but the literal translation for pan is paella.

Looks amazing 😍

I was in Valencia this summer and we ate many different paellas. But probably the best one was the traditional valencia paella with rabbit and chicken in a place called Barraca Toni Montoliu. It was delicious

Excellent ! I recently seen your channel by your reaction to Vincenzo's Plate. I also already followed Alex's account but you give a nice add of flavors to their contents. Really enjoy what you're doing James, keep it on 👍

Merry Christmas, James!

What a great video brother keep the amazing work 👊

Merry Christmas chef james!

Don't know why I didn't see this earlier. I'm a fan of Alex's work and yours as well. Fabulous.

Alex is so precise, beautiful and very well done… hope you had a great Xmas James

love Alex video's. He is entertaining without stupid gimmicks. and he fails quite often.

paella is one of those things i'm working myself up to do. living in the midwest, it's harder to get some certain ingredients, and short grain rice is one of those. i've basically got one choice unless i buy on amazon. also, most of these videos talk about seafood paella, but i'm really not a fan of fishy taste. but i swear that soccarat texture looks amazing and i'm eventually going to try it with chicken!

Great video as always!!

God bless you James 🌷🌷 Thx for sharing with us your exp 😍

oh wow, that socarrat looks so good. It reminds me somewhat of the slightly crispy rice that forms at the bottom of a bowl of bibimbap from the heat of the stone bowl. I've never had croquetas in Spain but they're somewhat common in Mexico City (and they were more than common in my house in Mexico City) and agreed, they're excellent --one of my favorite foods.

I have been to spain many many times! My grandparents owned a small bungalow in Cala Canyelles. Thats right between Tossa de Mar and Lloret de Mar. Every year we (my parents, my sister and I) sat in the car for 13 hours and drove to Canyelles (I'm from Germany) and stayed there for a period of 3 weeks during the summer holidays. I have eaten a lot of Paella 😅 And the flavour of a good one is really exceptional, something you simply don't find in other dishes! I like the Paella Mixta the most! Original, spanish Aioli is also something I can't get enough of 😋 We went to a lot of places. Barcelona, Teatre-Museu Dali in Figueres, La Bisbal and a lot more. Going for a walk in the castle in Tossa de Mar during sunset is something I would love to do again some time. I really miss these days... The bungalow is still in the family, but I wasn't able to go and stay there since 2008 😢 I really hope I get the chance to do that next year with my mother and sister!

I am huge foodie, and love cooking, (obvious based on the video I am watching). Unfortunately I am also blessed with very high cholesterol at an early age. I love seeing these amazing dishes that do not base the flavor on how much fat you can put into it. Cannot wait to add this dish to our family rotation. The commentary was so helpful to learn an extra layer on top of what Alex showed.

Loving this! Two people enjoying cooking Traditions and embracing Techniques! You are adding a ton of value to this and thats how it should be. I recently saw an epicurious Video on Bolognese, would Love your reaction to this😂

Haha, I didn't request it but I was hoping you would do this one!

Merry Christmas James!

Je revois ce vidéo encore une fois, mon frère, parce que c'est vraiment trop super! Bravoooooo!!!

The best Paella (Marisco) in my life I had when I was on holidays in a town called Calpe, which is half way between Valencia and Alicante. It was about 40(!) years ago, when the Costa Blanca wasn't overcrowded with tourists. And it was outstanding...! Believe it or not, I still remember EVERYTHING, the rich taste of the rice, the gambas, all these flavours, all these textures, and not at least the ambience in this little restaurant in the harbor. I really like cooking, and the kitchen is my secondary living room, but I'm not sure if I would ever try to remake a Paella like that, because I'm quite sure that I would f... it up, because that was really high level cuisine... 🤔 Sometimes I wish I had a time machine... 👏👍🙂

yeah i lived in ibiza for around 7 years and worked as a KP in some of the best restaurants. some of them were very very expensive fusion style restaurants but i really enjoyed the traditional spanish places. in the old school spanish places they would let me do the tostadas on a morning shift as well which i really enjoyed because i felt more a part of the team. id really love to go back there to work again i love the vibe and the spanish people were so amazing to work with every day was a blessing. brexit ruined my hobo kitchen lifestyle lol.

We had bad Paella in Valencia this year. It was pretty weird since 80% of the restaurants were closed till Thursday in early June so we had to go to one of the few that were open.

Alex is brilliant, j'adore his videos.

Wow, I learn a lot!

Happy holidays Chef! I know my greetings was. bit late but better late than never ☺️. Im glad you made this reaction video because I learned something new from here. Alex's seafood paella looks beautiful. I would like to try his paella and i do hope it will turn out good. It may look simple but like what you said, I might not get it right the first time 🤞 . Thanks for this informative video. Have a happy new year. God bless 🙏 P. S. I was surprised when you spoke in French. That was cool. And I know you are also fluent in Spanish because I saw one of your old videos where you made aioli and it was completely in Spanish. That was very impressive ☺️

Nice to see the appreciation and the respect between the professinals and perefectionists. 👍 Pls check out Andong's turkish red lentil soup... absolute perfection.

lol it is a little more complicated than one thinks. Lol. This was wonderful. This was awesome. This made me smile. 🤗