I cried the first time I saw a waxworm. I had just bought my first honeybee hive secondhand, and after a full year of classes, books, and prep I was so ready to clean that thing up and get started. When I got it home, I realised it was filled with the unmistakable long thin tubes of wax moth larvae. I should’ve known: the hive had been empty for a full year and I’d ‘bought’ it in barter for chickens, so there was no reason to expect excellency. Still, waxworms can be be a real problem, and they still show up in all three of my hives to this day.

Less than two years later, I grow waxworms in jars in my bedroom and wish I had more.  It turns out that beekeeping and eating insects pair quite well. Finding Waxmoth larvae isn’t such a sad waste of wax if you can start a new little colony of “land shrimp” as some call these delicacies. This summer I’m going to eat my drone larvae too, but that’s another story.

Photo: Chelsea Thomas

To celebrate BUGSfeed’s Week of the Waxworm, I’ve created a special paella combining ‘land shrimp’ with other invertebrates: Georgia white shrimp, clams, and squid. For a time-saving twist, I’ve used pre-prepared rice, but I’ll provide instructions for this and a more traditional preparation.

There are three 3 parts to the paella: a broth, an herb blend, and the rice dish.  You’ll need a paella pan (or any large cast-iron pan), a sauce pan, many bowls, and a towel.

Ingredients

Broth:

• 3 cups of water
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 tsp saffron threads
• 2 (8oz) bottles of clam juice

Herb blend:

• 1 cup chopped fresh parsley
• ⅓ cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp dried tarragon
• 1 tbsp coarse salt
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 2 saffron threads

Paella:

• ½ lb squid tubes (cleaned and cut in rings – use scissors)
• ½ lb shrimp (shelled and de-veined)
• 2 tbsps olive oil
• 2 cups finely chopped onion
• 1 tsp sweet paprika
• ¼ tsp crushed red pepper
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 cups uncooked Arborio rice (or pre-cooked Spanish-style rice)
• 1 cup frozen green peas
• 16 - 22 little neck clams
• 1 (7 oz) jar sliced pimiento, drained (you won’t use all)
• ½ lemon

Photo: Chelsea Thomas

Instructions

Prepare broth:

• Combine all broth ingredients in a sauce pan
• Bring to a simmer (do NOT boil)
• Keep warm over low heat, stirring rarely

Prepare herb blend:

• Grind saffron and tarragon into coarse salt
• Combine parsley and minced garlic cloves
• Add salt into parsley and garlic
• Mix in lemon and olive oil

Paella:

• Hours before cooking:
  • Place clams in bowl of cold water, set aside (they will ‘spit out’ sand)
  • Place waxworms in freezer, remove 10 minutes before cooking
• Heat olive oil in paella pan over medium heat
• Add shrimp, squid, and waxworms, cook for one minute (they should not be fully cooked yet)
• Remove shrimp, squid, and waxworms from pan, set aside (keep warm)
• Add onion, sauté for 5 minutes
• Stir in paprika, crushed red pepper, and minced garlic, cook for 5 minutes
• Add rice (pre-cooked or new) and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly

Photo: Chelsea Thomas

• Stir in broth, herb blend, and peas
• Bring to low boil and cook 10 minutes, stirring frequently
• Add clams to pan, nestling them into the rice mixture, cook 5 minutes, or until shells open
• Discard any unopened clams at this point
• Gently fold in the seafood-and-waxworm mixture

Photo: Chelsea Thomas

• Cook for 5 minutes:
  • Test rice at this point, it should be mostly cooked (fairly soft). If still crunchy, simmer longer. If using pre-cooked rice, this is plenty of time and your rice will probably end up a little softer than usual.
• Arrange pimiento slices on top of rice mixture,
• Squeeze half a lemon over paella
• Remove from heat
• Cover with towel
• Let stand for 10 minutes

Photo: Chelsea Thomas

Serve warm with Spanish wine.