At its heart, paella is a simple dish with relatively few ingredients considering all of the fantastic aromatics and flavors having a full-out fiesta on your tastebuds with each and every bite. So, what’s the trick to making a traditional Spanish paella with enough flavor to knock your socks off? Well … like most things in life, the secret to making a perfectly prepared paella is all about balance — balancing seasonings, that is.

For those who are not aware of the spices that comprise the flavor profile that paella is famous for, it’s as easy as saffron, paprika, and sofrito, which is a complex and savory spice blend made from a combination of aromatics such as dried onion, tomato, garlic, pepper, and so on. In utilizing these three spices (and a bay leaf if you’re feeling fancy), you can make a paella so enchanting that even its aroma will have neighbors clambering over your garden gate for a plate of their own.

Saffron in particular is a notoriously tricky spice to get just right as it can easily over or underwhelm a dish, especially when paired with a complex spice blend such as sofrito. To avoid paella spice pandemonium, be sure to taste your seasoning blend before putting it into the dish so you can make adjustments ahead of time instead of in the heat of the moment.