In seafood paella, the seafood is traditionally served in what?

In seafood paella, the seafood is traditionally served in the shell.

Shell-on seafood is part of the dish’s presentation and cooking tradition: prawns, mussels, clams and similar ingredients may be arranged over the rice with their shells intact. The shells contribute visual appeal and can add flavor to the cooking liquid, although preparation varies among cooks and regions.

Seafood paella, or paella de marisco, is a coastal variation of paella associated with the Mediterranean side of Spain. It replaces the meats used in paella valenciana with seafood and generally leaves out the traditional meat-paella beans and green vegetables. Fishers and coastal cooks adapted rice dishes to the ingredients available locally.

The shell-on tradition should not be confused with arroz del senyoret, a seafood rice from Alicante in which the seafood is peeled before serving. That style is specifically designed to make eating easier, while classic seafood paella commonly retains shells as part of the finished dish.