One-Pot Spanish-Style Shrimp and Chorizo Pasta

By Kay Chun

Total Time: 30 minutes
Rating: 4(982)
Notes: Read community notes

Fideos are very thin noodles that are traditionally cooked right in the sauce, allowing them to soak up maximum flavor. Both angel hair pasta and capellini are great substitutes if you don’t have access to Spanish fideos. To create a nutty, smoky layer, the noodles are first toasted with olive oil and chorizo. A good-quality bottled clam juice is important here, since it creates the briny broth that accentuates the shrimp and enhances the overall seafood flavor; the Bar Harbour brand has a very clean and naturally briny clam flavor.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings

¼cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
½cup finely chopped onion
8ounces fideos, angel hair pasta or capellini, broken into 3-inch pieces
Kosher salt and black pepper
3garlic cloves, minced
2tablespoons tomato paste
4ounces Spanish chorizo, casing removed and sliced ½-inch thick
1medium fennel bulb, trimmed, quartered and sliced into thin wedges
2(8-ounce) bottles clam juice
1pound large shrimp, cleaned
½cup frozen peas
¼cup freshly grated Parmesan
1tablespoon lemon juice
¼cup chopped parsley
Lemon wedges, for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

Step 1
Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and pasta, season with salt and pepper and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until pasta starts to turn golden, about 5 minutes (pasta will break up a bit during stirring).
Step 2
Lower heat and add garlic, tomato paste and chorizo, and cook until tomato paste is lightly caramelized, 2 to 3 minutes. Add fennel, clam juice and 1 cup of water and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer over moderate heat until pasta has softened and most of the liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes.
Step 3
Stir in shrimp, peas and Parmesan, cover and cook until shrimp is opaque, about 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in lemon juice and parsley.
Step 4
Drizzle with oil and serve with lemon wedges.

Ratings

4 out of 5

982 user ratings

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Cooking Notes

skyandstars4 years ago

Cooking the pasta until it is golden gives it a toasted flavor that is unique and is important to the recipe. Usually I toast the pasta first, and then when golden, add the onion, which brings its moisture to the hot pan. It won't toast as well with the moisture of the onions.

SGS5 years ago

Needed more broth. Will reduce oil next time as well and try putting in the pasta after the tomato paste has caramelized.

Keith 775 years ago

Really lovely dish! 1) Chorizo should be sliced thinner, 2) we used fettuccine as the pasta, 3) we used fresh peas instead of frozen (cook a little longer). This was incredible with good chorizo!

CJ - NH4 years ago

I used Italian parsley and basil and it was great. Not a fennel fan either.

AK1824 years ago

This was delicious!! I added a pinch of saffron but otherwise followed the recipe as written. I will definitely be making this again. And again. And then again.

Judith Bergson5 years ago

Made this the other night with chicken broth-- no bottles of clam juice the larder--and it was delicious.

JohnfromBoston3 years ago

I used 1 bottle of clam juice and made my own stock from shrimp shells, an onion, 2 stalks of celery and a carrot. I also added a teaspoon of hot pepper flakes. Delicious addition to this wonderful recipe.

mka5 years ago

This was really good, and the cooking technique was different. Will make again!! I could not get Spanish chorizo so I used 1/2 lb of cooked Italian sausage. Very good flavor for little time and simple ingredients.

Cathy2 years ago

Made this tonight and agree that it was too bland as written. Red pepper flakes, saffron threads and seasoned salt added the needed punch. The parmesan worked for my family. Also recommend a tall dutch oven or pot to contain the errant pasta. We enjoyed with a nice red blend from Paso Robles.

sb555 years ago

I followed the recipe exactly, and I really liked it. IMHO it didn't need the cheese. The next time, I might even throw in a pinch of saffron instead. I love chorizo. And since the chorizo is usually sold in 8 oz packages, why not throw it all in?

mka5 years ago

I made this with gluten free pasta and it worked very well.

Maarten van Thiel4 years ago

No. Even if you use fideus you dont cook them before. The dish (fideuà) is cooked just like paella, but then with pasta instead of rice.

PLG5 years ago

My Grandson said it was the best dinner he has had, he is 8 and quite the connoisseur! To answer the question on not enough broth, don't be too precise with measuring, this allows for wiggle room.

Frank3 years ago

Instead of using one cup of water in step 2, use the shrimp shells and fennel fronds to make a shrimp/fennel broth by boiling the shells and fronds in about 1.5 cups of water for 20 minutes. Strain the broth, and you will have a "free" and very tasty addition with a bit to spare should you need it.

Anne C.5 years ago

This is really good. Added a bit too much liquid so it was more a thick soup, but very tasty. Added a bit of sherry too.

Beldar4 months ago

At the local market I bought Barilla fideos. I never noticed them before. Although the dish wasn’t perfectly executed it was very tasty.

Beldar5 months ago

I didn’t have chorizo or fennel but I made it anyway, substituting spicy Italian sausage. Next time I’ll brown the sausage first and also add more liquid. We enjoyed it, but the next time it will be better.

Ann Schumacher6 months ago

Use artichoke hearts instead of fennel. Veggie broth sub for clam juice.

emcooks6 months ago

This was delicious. I added a tsp of sweet smoked paprika to the tomato paste mix. Some capers might be a nice addition. It cooked very quickly, the work was in the prep. Definitely a keeper.

Beth1 year ago

Delish. Only difference was subbing green beans for green peas.

Fitz on PEI1 year ago

Bleh. Followed exactly. Came out like Alphaghetti with fennel. Also made an awful mess in the Creuset pot.

Mary1 year ago

Normally, I'm a stickler for making a recipe exactly as written the first time, but I made some adjustments here to use up some ingredients I had on hand. That meant using chorizo and spaghetti. Then, my store didn't have clam juice so I subbed in fish sauce mixed with water (1 tablespoon per cup). I also doubled the recipe which made it a little unwieldly to mix at first, but it came together nicely and had great flavor. Leftovers were equally as good.

Nooty1 year ago

Very good recipe ,I added saffron and didnt use cheese to keep with the Spanish flavors….Toasting the fideo pasta gives it a special flavor and texture. I found the proportions to work except I used 1/2 cup white wine ,1/2 cup water…

Emily S1 year ago

Could benefit from a pinch of saffron

John1 year ago

Last cooked: 8/15/22

Jade1 year ago

Absolutely delicious. I lightly toasted fideos first and then added both onion and fennel to ensure softness. Also added a pinch of saffron with tomato paste. Yum !

Billy1 year ago

Pretty bad. The thin pasta and cheese all melded together to make an unappetizing lump. The fennel didn't soften; it ended up as long hard-chew strings. Taste was OK but we ended up throwing the leftovers away. The worst part was, when frying the pasta and onion, the thin dry pasta snapped and flew all over the stove and floor as you tried to stir it. Our rule is "whoever doesn't cook has to clean". I cooked. My wife was not happy.

Jacob1 year ago

Not traditional, but I substituted the clam juice with an ingredient I, as a self-respecting Albertan, had on hand: clamato! The additional tomato kick brought an interesting dimension to the dish

Marty1 year ago

Made 8/10/22. Very good. Added saffron. Would increase lemon juice next time.

esarafish1 year ago

this was so easy and delicious. I used chicken broth instead of clam juice, and needed just a bit more broth before adding the shrimp. but my family loved it and asked me to please make it again. oh, a little smoked paprika is really nice too, and easy to add with the tomato paste.

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