TL;DR (Fast-Reply Field)
- What it’s: A daring, Spanish-inspired skillet dish that includes shrimp, chorizo or chouriço, garlic, chile, lemon, and parsley—prepared in about half-hour.
- Why you’ll find it irresistible: Smoky, garlicky, lemon-bright, and layered with taste. It’s quick, foolproof, and made totally in a single skillet with no fussy methods.
- How one can make it: Crisp the sausage to launch its red-tinged oil, soften onions, stir in garlic, then toss within the shrimp, chile, and lemon. End with herbs and serve instantly.
Quick on time however craving massive, daring taste? This shrimp with chorizo recipe delivers a restaurant-worthy dish with a fraction of the trouble. Right here’s why it’s a standout:
- Good for busy weeknights while you need a fast essential for 2.
- A powerful, shareable tapas-style appetizer for gatherings. Prepare for a burst of Spanish-inspired deliciousness that’s on the desk in about half-hour.
Why Shrimp and Chorizo Pair So Properly
In the event you’ve by no means had shrimp and chorizo in the identical chunk, you’re about to surprise why nobody advised you sooner. The juicy sweetness of shrimp performs off the spicy, smoky fats rendered from the sausage—form of like a surf-and-turf scenario, however manner sexier and so much cheaper. Add garlic, a punch of chile, and shiny lemon to tie all of it collectively, and also you’ve obtained dinner that hits each taste notice with out breaking a sweat.
My Portuguese Hack: A Nod to Chouriço
In fact, being Portuguese, I had to slide in a point out of one in all Portugal’s well-known sausages—chouriço—as an possibility right here. It has all of the brio of chorizo, however with a beautiful paprika-garlicky-winey chunk.
The Magic of Refogado
I couldn’t resist throwing in some onion. The traditional combo of onion and garlic sautéed in olive oil is known as refogado in Portuguese. It provides wonderful depth and richness.
Savor Each Drop: That Killer Chorizo Oil Sauce
Oh, and ensure you have loads of that scrumptious dark-red oil in your pan after scorching the sausage and rendering its fats. That’s cooking bliss and, when blended with freshly-squeezed lemon juice, makes a killer sauce.
Featured Reader Evaluate
I made this for my husband and daughter final evening and it was spectacular. The chargrilled lemons actually take it excessive.
Angelene
Why This Recipe Works
This one-pan surprise shines due to its dead-simple method and contemporary substances, creating layers of taste with zilch fuss. Sautéing the sausage renders its smoky, paprika-infused fats, which turns into the flavorful base for cooking the onions and shrimp, making certain each chunk is infused with its essence.
A fast sear of the shrimp retains them tender and succulent, whereas the garlic and chile flakes add fragrant depth and a nice kick.
Ending with contemporary lemon juice and zest brightens the whole dish, slicing by way of the richness and including a vibrant, zesty end.
Notes on Elements
- Shrimp—Giant uncooked or frozen shrimp (about 16-20 rely per pound) are excellent. Purchase them already peeled and deveined to save lots of time, or go for shell-on in the event you want to make a fast shrimp inventory with the shells for an additional recipe. Search for shrimp which might be agency and translucent.
- Spanish Chorizo or Portuguese Chouriço—That is non-negotiable for that signature smoky taste. Spanish chorizo is usually cured and seasoned with smoked paprika. There are spicy (picante) and candy (dulce) variations; both works, relying in your style. Portuguese chouriço is analogous, with garlic and wine notes. For this recipe, use a dry-cured or semi-cured selection that may be sliced. (No uncooked or uncured sausage right here.)
- Olive Oil—Good-quality EVOO lends a definite fruity, peppery, or grassy taste to the dish that superbly enhances the garlic, chorizo, and lemon. For the reason that oil is a foundational a part of the brick-red sauce, utilizing a terrific olive oil is essential.
- Chile Pepper Flakes—I want Aleppo pepper for its gentle warmth and fruity notes. Plain ole crimson pepper flakes work simply as properly; alter the quantity to your warmth choice.
Substitutions & Variations
Sausage Swap: No Spanish chorizo or chouriço? Attempt andouille for a smoky Cajun kick, or smoked kielbasa for a milder style (you’ll lose the paprika taste).
Make it Saucy: For further sauce, excellent for pasta or rice, deglaze the pan with a splash (about 1/4 cup) of dry white wine or sherry after cooking the onions and garlic and earlier than including the shrimp. Let it scale back barely. Tester Deb Lynch additionally efficiently added reserved chorizo oil and sherry for extra richness.
Your Shrimp & Chorizo Questions Answered
Please don’t. It shouldn’t be your go-to as they’ll simply flip rubbery. This recipe is designed for uncooked shrimp, which cook dinner rapidly and take in all these ah-ma-zing flavors. In the event you’re caught utilizing cooked shrimp, add them within the final minute of cooking, simply to warmth by way of with the chorizo and lemon juice.
Nice query! It occurs to me occasionally if my sausage is especially lean. The recipe requires 3 to 4 tablespoons of olive oil, which ought to be loads to cook dinner the chorizo, onions, and shrimp. But when when cooking the sausage the pan appears dry, add as much as one other 4 tablespoons of oil. That’s what’ll provide you with that depraved good sauce.
Professional Suggestions
- Don’t Overcrowd the Pan
Overcrowding the skillet will steam the substances quite than brown them, diluting these stunning concentrated flavors. - Prep Forward for Pace
This dish comes collectively quick! Have all of your substances prepared by the range earlier than you begin heating the pan. Mise en place is your BFF right here. - Style and Modify Seasoning
Chorizo varies in saltiness. Style the dish proper earlier than serving and alter with a pinch extra salt, chile flakes, or a squeeze of lemon juice. - Save That Chorizo Oil!
The olive oil you utilize to sauté your chorizo or chouriço does greater than cook dinner the sausage—it transforms right into a liquid treasure, absorbing all these smoky, paprika-rich flavors. In the event you discover you will have extra of this attractive, terracotta-tinged oil within the pan than you want for sautéing the onions, don’t let a drop go to waste! Let it cool, pressure it right into a jar, and hold it within the fridge. It’s completely excellent for roasting greens, frying eggs with an additional taste punch, or whisking right into a French dressing for a smoky kick.
Talking of unimaginable infused oils, my grandmother, Vovo Costa, had an excellent custom. She would cook dinner chouriço in a superb quantity of corn oil (which is right for high-heat frying) so she may create a big batch of richly flavored oil. When she had sufficient, she’d take advantage of wonderful french fries you possibly can think about—orange coloured and stuffed with an exquisite smokiness. Wild!
Serving Concepts
- As a Principal for Two: Serve it straight from the skillet alongside grilled sourdough or crusty bread to swipe by way of the pan juices. It’s daring sufficient to face alone however performs good with a inexperienced salad with puckery lemon French dressing or merely roasted asparagus.
- Tapas-Model: Portion it right into a shallow dish with toothpicks, charred lemon halves, and grilled baguette slices. It’s all about these hits of spice, smoke, and citrus.
- Over Grains or Pasta: Need to stretch it? Spoon it over cooked rice, orzo, and even creamy polenta. Simply know: it’s a light-weight coating, not a full-bodied sauce.
Storage & Reheating
Fridge: Retailer leftover shrimp and chorizo in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 2 days.
Freezer: Sorry, youngsters, it is a no-go. The cooked shrimp can flip into large erasers when frozen. And nobody likes to dine on rubbery shrimp (or erasers).
Reheating: Tester Aileen B. talked about the dish tasted even higher the following day after reheating. For greatest outcomes, gently reheat on the stovetop in a skillet over medium-low warmth till warmed by way of. Add a tiny splash of water or olive oil if it appears dry.
Nix the microwave, because it, too, will make the shrimp powerful.
Beloved this Scorching Shrimp and Chorizo?
In the event you’ve made this recipe, I’d be thrilled to listen to what you thought! Did you get tapas vibes? Was it a weeknight winner? Please contemplate leaving a evaluate, a star score, and your greatest picture of the dish within the feedback under.–David
-
Warmth a big skillet over medium warmth. Drizzle within the 3 to 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, toss within the 8 ounces Spanish chorizo or Portuguese chouriço, and cook dinner till crisped and the oil is a deep crimson, 4 to 7 minutes.
-
Scoop out the sausage slices with a slotted spoon to switch them to a bowl.
-
Scatter the 1 medium yellow onion within the pan and cook dinner, stirring sometimes, till translucent with a slight crunch, about 5 minutes.
☞ TESTER TIP: A splash of water may help velocity up softening and forestall the onions from browning too rapidly.
-
Stir within the 4 garlic cloves and cook dinner for 1 minute extra.
-
Bump the warmth to excessive, add the 1 pound massive uncooked shrimp, butterflied and 1 teaspoon chile pepper flakes, and toss for 1 minute. Squeeze within the juice of 1 lemon, return the chorizo to the pan, and toss till the shrimp are pink and opaque, 1 to three minutes extra.
-
Spoon every little thing right into a serving bowl, speckle with the lemon zest and 2 tablespoons finely chopped Italian parsley, and rush it to the desk. Serve with pan-grilled bread and seared lemon halves for squeezing.
Serving: 1 servingEnergy: 333 kcalCarbohydrates: 3 gProtein: 36 gFats: 19 gSaturated Fats: 6 gLdl cholesterol: 366 mgSodium: 1663 mgFiber: 1 gSugar: 1 g
Diet data is mechanically calculated, so ought to solely be used as an approximation.
Recipe © 2021 David Leite. Pictures © 2025 David Leite. All rights reserved.
Recipe Testers’ Critiques
This recipe preparation for shrimp with chorizo is straightforward and fast to make. I eliminated a lot of the fats launched from cooking the chorizo and left only a movie on the underside of the pan. I wished extra sauce, although, than the recipe made so I drizzled the oil I faraway from the chorizo and a splash of dry sherry into the pan with the chorizo and lemon juice after I cooked the shrimp. I served it on prime of creamy grits and a aspect of pan-fried inexperienced beans plus some selfmade ciabatta bread for dinner. I can see making this one other time as a hearty appetizer. The zesty taste from the chorizo actually shines with lemon and zippers up the flavour of the shrimp.
I cooked this dish for my dinner and had it the following day for lunch at work and let me let you know one thing, it tasted higher the following day. You should use this recipe as an appetizer or as a essential dish. The spiciness of the chile pepper flakes plus the chorizo added an additional layer of taste to the shrimp. I put it over toasted complete wheat bread and it paired completely with the juices and chopped parsley. It was scrumptious. The following day for my lunch, I ate the shrimp with chorizo over a mattress of pasta with an arugula and candy lettuce salad and it was excessive.
Barcelona is a type of locations that take over my desires—I can solely think about the magic within the air as residents revel into the twilight hours sipping wine and consuming tapas. So. Many. Tapas. Whereas I’m nowhere close to with the ability to journey there anytime quickly, making this shrimp with chorizo is the following neatest thing.
With a couple of minor executional tweaks (predominantly revolving round cook dinner occasions), this could be the proper shrimp dish. My chorizo wanted a little bit bit longer to brown and render out, my shrimp wanted one other few moments to turn into opaque, and maybe I wanted to squeeze two lemons as an alternative of 1 to get brighter notes of citrus all through the sauce. I may’ve additionally ditched the parsley; for me, it added nothing besides delicate tastes of inexperienced in a couple of bites.
However, the ultimate product was wildly satisfying. There was loads of warmth, simply sufficient citrus to make my tastebuds sing, and tons of hearty protein to maintain me feeling full and energized. No surprise everybody in Barcelona can hold going in any respect hours of the evening! I served it with roughly mashed butternut squash. I believed its sweetness can be a pleasant complement to the brilliant, heat-filled shrimp (and I used to be proper).
In the event you’re on the lookout for a fast and engaging meal, this shrimp with chorizo is it. I liked the mixture of the shrimp, sliced garlic, and chorizo. The combo of textures was fantastic—the freshness of the shrimp, the crisp chorizo, the garlic slices. And don’t neglect the grilled lemons to squeeze on prime. (They make a pleasant presentation as properly.) This took about 1/2 hour from begin to end. It was nice as a essential however I may additionally see it as an appetizer with one or two shrimp and two slices of chorizo on a plate. Or a bowl of this for folks to munch on (with toothpicks). As a essential, serve a crisp inexperienced salad with a lemon French dressing to enhance this dish.
My completed shrimp with chorizo didn’t appear like the picture as a result of my dish had little or no liquid. My chorizo, oddly, didn’t launch any oil, though it was butcher-made, uncooked, and pork. It undoubtedly would have benefited from some oil and maybe one other squeeze of lemon. That stated, the flavors had been fantastic: contemporary shrimp, crisp chorizo, garlic, chiles, and the brilliant parsley. So tasty when served with a crusty ache d’epi.
You’ll genuinely benefit from the flavors of this shrimp with chorizo—it’s smoky, salty, and citrusy, all mixing collectively very properly. The chorizo provides nice taste to the dish, and with the shrimp and garlic, it’s like “a wedding made in heaven.” I’d serve this as a whole meal with brown, yellow, or white rice, and a aspect vegetable reminiscent of string beans, roasted crimson peppers, sautéed zucchini, or some other vegetable of your selection. Roasted potatoes may very well be served in lieu of the rice. Alone, with simply the crusty bread, you’ll have an ideal tapa or starter course.
This shrimp with chorizo was so good. It got here collectively fairly rapidly for a way nice it turned out. The flavors are layered and savory, and the lemon provides a novel little jolt on the finish. I feel it could make a enjoyable shrimp tapa to throw collectively for an evening with mates (and good drinks). And I undoubtedly wiped up my plate with my crusty sourdough toast!
This shrimp with chorizo was an easy-to-put-together dish that’s tremendous spectacular. In the event you’re on the lookout for a fast, gorgeous nosh with afternoon bubbly Prosecco drinks, look no additional. I reside within the Basque capital, so I normally have all these substances available. This will likely be on repeat all summer time at my home!
