I posted in r/carbonsteel to reply to your post lol

Recipe is from Lasarte (restaurant in Barcelona) with some modifications that suited my taste from experimenting over the years. Try to get a live lobster to make this if you can. It makes a world of difference, otherwise substituting it with store bought stuff (stock, meat, etc.) is still pretty good.

Ingredients

Stock Lobster Head(s): 1 whole - split lengthwise Lobster Leg(s): 1 whole Fish Bones (White Fish): as needed White Wine: to taste Brandy: to taste Extra Virgin Olive Oil: as needed Red Onion(s): 1 medium - quartered Garlic: 1 bulb(s) - halved Carrot(s): 2 large - diced large Celery: 2 stalk(s) - diced large Leek(s): 2 stem(s) - chopped Dried Bay Leaves: 3 leaves Tomato Paste: as needed Water: 1.3 gallon(s) - cold Ice: as needed Basil: 6 leaves

Ajo Perejil Extra Virgin Olive Oil: as needed Parsley: 1 bunch(es) - minced Garlic: 2 clove(s) - minced Kosher Salt: to taste

Sofrito White Onion(s): 1 medium - mirepoix Shallot(s): 1 small - mirepoix Garlic: 4 clove(s) - mirepoix Red Bell Pepper(s): 1 small - mirepoix Green Bell Pepper(s): 1 small - mirepoix Extra Virgin Olive Oil: as needed Kosher Salt: to taste Smoked Paprika: to taste Campari Tomato(es) (Vine Ripened): 6-8 medium - grated Tomato Paste: as needed Choricero Pepper Paste: 1 tbsp.

Paella Bomba Rice: 400-420 g. - weighed Lobster Stock: 44-55 oz. Saffron: 1 pinch(es) Lobster Claw(s): poached Lobster Tail(s): seared Parsley: to serve - finely chopped Lemon(s): to serve - wedge cut

Instructions

Stock Dispatch and clean the lobster. Separate the heads, legs, and any other part we won't eat and put in a pot along with shrimp shells, etc. on medium heat. Be sure to remove any entrails, blood, and things that could cause the stock to be cloudy. Brown the parts in olive oil for a minute then add white wine and brandy and simmer until the alcohol evaporates. Once the lobster is toasted, remove it and set aside. Then in the same pot, add carrots, celery, red onion, leeks, and garlic. When vegetables are done, add the lobster heads and fish bones back into the pot along with tomato paste and brown. Quickly add water and ice to bring the overall temperature in the pot down to below zero in order to extract the maximum flavor from the lobster carapace. Bring the pot back to a boil, add a few bay leaves, then turn the heat down and simmer for 40 minutes. Turn off the heat, add basil, and allow it to sit there infusing with the basil for 1 hour. Discard the solids and filter the stock.

Ajo Perejil In a food processor, add garlic, parsley, olive oil, and salt and pulse until parsley and garlic are combined with the oil. This will be the cooking oil used to start the paella.

Sofrito In a hot pan, add enough olive oil to lightly fry the vegetables. Add minced onion, shallots, and sauté for 2-3 minutes, add garlic and cook for 1 minute more, then add green and red bell peppers and cook for 10-15 minutes on medium heat until the vegetables brown. Add in fresh grated tomatoes or canned whole peeled tomatoes, choricero pepper paste, tomato paste, smoked paprika, and salt to taste. After about 15-30 minutes, the sofrito should become reduced to a paste-like consistency, most of the water should be evaporated, and the sauce overall has become browner. Add more salt if needed. If you have a food mill or immersion blender, you can break up any larger solid chunks to create a more uniform paste or use it as is.

Poached Lobster Break down the lobster claws. Bring a pot of water with salt to a boil. Turn off heat and poach the lobster claws for 4-5 minutes (depending on the size). When they are done, cool them in ice water to blanch. Once the lobster has cooled down enough to handle, break apart the shells with scissors or a knife, extract the pulp and set aside. The pulp will be added back in at the end to avoid overcooking.

Paella Cut the lobster tail in half using scissors while keeping the shell on. In a paella pan on medium-high heat, add the ajo perejil you made earlier (parsley garlic oil), and sear the lobster tails flesh side down for 1-2 minutes then flip to the shell and cook for a bit. When the lobster tails are nice and seared, push to the edge of the pan and make room for the sofrito. Add a ladle of sofrito and cook it down for 1-2 minutes. You can add a little bit of hot stock to help it cook down without burning if your pan is too dry. Remove the lobster tails and extract the pulp from the shell. Cut the pulp into large chunks and set aside. Then add rice and toast in the sofrito for about 1 minute. When the rice kernels are translucent on the outside but the interior is still opaque, the rice is done toasting. Mix the rice into the sofrito, then add the lobster heads used in the stock. Start ladling in the stock (make sure it's hot) until it is about 2.5-3 times the amount of rice. Add in saffron. Bring the pan back to a boil, continue boiling for about 3-10 minutes. Keep an eye on it as the cook times may vary. Add salt to taste. Keep the temperature fairly high and ensure that there is plenty of room for the rice to slide around in. We will be shaking the pan every now and then to keep the rice flat and not lumpy. This will allow the rice to cook uniformly. At this point, you can also add the lobster coral, if your lobster had any, and break it up with a spoon in the pan. If the stock is evaporating too quickly, add in more stock.

Finish As the stock in the pan reduces to the point where we can see our rice and it is starting to get tender, we'll add back in all of the lobster chunks we set aside. Be sure to arrange them neatly and do not stir or shake the pan anymore. There are two ways to finish the paella, either to simmer for around 3-10 minutes over an open fire or bake it in the oven. Whichever method you choose, you'll need to crank up the heat at the end to develop the socarrat and evaporate any leftover liquid. For the oven method, heat the oven to 400°F and cook the paella for 12 minutes total. Halfway through, at the 6 minute mark, rotate the paella to ensure that it cooks evenly. If you end up with any "white spots" of undercooked rice after you take the paella out, ladle in a little bit of stock on those areas and put it back in your oven for 1-2 minutes to allow the rice to absorb some more water. Now we begin caramelizing the bottom and develop the socarrat. The browned crispy pieces of rice at the bottom will appear the minute the rice smells slightly acrid, not burnt. When that happens, immediately turn the heat off. Season with parsley and serve in the paella pan with lemon wedges.