Shrimp and Chorizo Pasta

Shrimp and Chorizo Pasta is a quick surf and turf dish you can make on any weeknight in about 20 minutes. It's made with jumbo shrimp, Spanish chorizo and penne in a spicy red sauce, with no cream at all.

Jump to:

• Why This Recipe Works
• What Is Chorizo?
• Ingredients You'll Need
• How to Make Shrimp and Chorizo Pasta?
• Recipe Tips From the Chef
• Variations and Substitutions
• Serving Suggestions
• Storage and Reheating
• Recipe FAQs
• Related Recipes
• Shrimp and Chorizo Pasta

It looks like a restaurant dish, but there's nothing difficult about it. I like penne or rigatoni for this, and any other shape you have works fine.

The chili flakes are up to you, a pinch for a gentle heat or more if you like it hot. Serve it with a green salad and some bread to mop up the sauce.

Why This Recipe Works

• It's ready in about 20 minutes, and you make the sauce as the pasta cooks.

• There's no cream in the sauce, so it's lighter than a creamy shrimp pasta.

• You only need one big pan and a pot to boil the pasta.

• You can buy everything for it at a regular supermarket.

• Easy enough for a busy weeknight, and good enough for friends coming over.

• I think shrimp and chorizo are one of the best surf and turf pairings.

What Is Chorizo?

Chorizo is a Spanish pork sausage seasoned with garlic and paprika, which gives it the red color. Cured chorizo is firm like salami and ready to eat. Fresh chorizo is raw, so it has to be cooked.

Mexican chorizo is a different sausage, made with chili and vinegar, and people usually crumble it out of its casing.

Ingredients You'll Need

Please scroll down to the recipe card below for the full ingredients list with measurements, complete recipe method, recipe notes, and nutritional information.

• Shrimp - In the UK, shrimp are sold as prawns, so you might know this as prawn and chorizo pasta. I use raw tiger or king prawns because they're big and juicy. In the US, look for jumbo shrimp, which are 21 to 25 per 1 lb (450 g). Buy them with the shells on if you can. Peeled and deveined ones save you time, and smaller sizes are cheaper but still taste great.

• Chorizo - I buy good cured chorizo from my local deli. In the US, you'll find Spanish chorizo in the deli section near the salami, and the pre-sliced packs work fine. If you don't eat pork, use sucuk, the spicy Turkish beef sausage I use in my Sucuklu Yumurta.

• Cherry Tomatoes - They're sweeter than regular tomatoes, and I halve them before adding them to the pan. Chopped ripe summer tomatoes work if you don't have any.

• Bell Pepper - Green, red, yellow or orange all work, and the red and yellow ones are a little sweeter.

• Red Wine - Use a wine you'd be happy to drink, because you'll taste it in the sauce. Dry white wine works instead, and if you don't cook with alcohol, just leave it out.

• Parmesan Cheese - Grate it yourself from a block, because the pre-grated tubs don't melt smoothly. Pecorino works in place of parmesan.

• Parsley - Use fresh parsley, or swap it for basil, dill or chives.

How to Make Shrimp and Chorizo Pasta?

Fry the Chorizo and Shrimp

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta following the package instructions. Fresh pasta cooks much faster, so add it at the very last minute. Before you drain it, keep some of the cooking water to one side.

Start the sauce as soon as the pasta is in the water. Put a wok or a large pan on medium heat, and add the chorizo once the pan is hot. Fry it until it's crisp.

Take the chorizo out and put it on a plate. Add the shrimp to the same pan and cook them for about a minute, just until they turn pink.

Don't be tempted to cook them any longer, because they cook more when you finish the sauce. Lift them out onto the plate with the chorizo.

Make the Sauce

Add the butter to the pan, put the chorizo back in, and cook it for another minute until it's crispy.

Add the onion and garlic and cook them for a minute, until they're slightly soft.

Add the bell pepper and cook it for a minute, then pour in the red wine and let it cook off.

When the wine has evaporated, add the cherry tomatoes and tomato paste. Season with the smoked paprika, salt, black pepper and chili flakes, if you're using them.

Cook until the tomatoes are slightly soft. Add some of the pasta water and cook for a few more minutes.

Add the parmesan, parsley and the cooked shrimp to the sauce and give it a good stir. Add the drained pasta, mix it well with the sauce, and cook it for another minute before serving.

Recipe Tips From the Chef

• Start the sauce as soon as the pasta water is on, and both will be ready at the same time.

• Wait for the water to come to a full boil before you add the pasta.

• Salt the pasta water well, or the pasta will taste bland.

• Cook the pasta until it's just al dente, because it softens a little more in the sauce.

• Always keep some pasta water for the sauce. It helps thicken the sauce and gives it a velvety texture.

• You don't need any oil for the chorizo, because it releases its own red oil as it fries.

• Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels before you cook them, or they won't brown properly.

• Cook the shrimp for about a minute, just until they turn pink. If you cook them longer, they go rubbery and lose their taste.

• Grate the parmesan yourself from a block. Pre-grated parmesan doesn't melt smoothly.

• The chorizo and parmesan are both salty, so taste the sauce before you add all the salt.

Variations and Substitutions

• For a creamy shrimp and chorizo pasta, add a splash of heavy cream or mascarpone with the pasta water. My Creamy Shrimp Mascarpone Pasta is another one to try.

• Swap the shrimp for bite-size pieces of chicken, and cook them through before you make the sauce. My Chicken and Chorizo Pasta is a creamy version with chicken.

• Use cooked shrimp if that's what you have. Skip the shrimp step and add them at the end, just to warm through.

• Add a big handful of spinach or arugula at the end and let it wilt.

• Use a finely chopped fresh red chili instead of the chili flakes.

• For a gluten-free version, use gluten-free pasta and check the label on your chorizo.

Serving Suggestions

I like to serve shrimp and chorizo pasta with a fresh salad on the side. Good ones to try are my Arugula Spinach Salad, Greek Cucumber Salad and Coban Salad.

A Lebanese Fattoush Salad or an Indian Chickpea Salad is good if you want something more filling.

For bread, my favorites are Pakistani Roghni Naan, Turkish Pide Bread, Sandwich Bread and Pitka Bread.

Storage and Reheating

Let the leftovers cool, then keep them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Shrimp and chorizo pasta freezes well for up to 3 months, and you can thaw it in the fridge overnight. Don't freeze it if the shrimp was already frozen when you bought it.

Reheat it in a pan on low heat with a splash of water, stirring until it's hot all the way through. You can use the microwave, but don't heat it for longer than it needs, or the shrimp will go rubbery. Reheat only the portion you need, and only once.

Recipe FAQs

Related Recipes

For more easy seafood recipes like this shrimp and chorizo pasta, have a look at these:

Did you make this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out! Leave a comment below and tag @cookingorgeous on Instagram and hashtag it #cookingorgeous.

I hope you enjoy the process of making this spicy and flavorsome Chorizo and Shrimp Pasta as much as you enjoy eating it! 🙂