Perfectly seasoned shrimp and Chorizo come together in this easy skillet shrimp recipe that takes on a South-of-Spain twist! Cooks in 20 minutes! Perfect as a hefty tapas (appetizer), or turn in into dinner (see ideas below!)
Here is the thing about shrimp: they’re so dang easy to make. You can make sauteed shrimp in a skillet with some quality EVOO…Cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until the limp, grey shrimps turn beautifully pink and the tails turn a bright red. (That’s your two-second lesson on how to cook shrimp in a skillet!)
And it’s just as easy to turn a skillet shrimp into an irresistible saucy dinner, make it into a 20-minute meal with couscous and chorizo, OR make glorious shrimp tapas (appetizer) like we have here.
Skillet Shrimp Recipe with Chorizo and Squash
So about this skillet shrimp and Chorizo situation…A heaping tray of smokey shrimp that’s taken on a bit of a south of Spain twist–lightly coated with smoked paprika and cumin, then combined with Spanish Chorizo and seared summer squash.
A little Spanish Chorizo here goes a long way in adding that accent of meaty richness. Plus a ton of flavor!
Spanish Chorizo is generally sold cured and fully cooked. It’s a pork sausage that’s seasoned with garlic, herbs, and smoked paprika. If it’s not available at your local store, you can grab Spanish chorizo online in the form of hot or mild Chorizo. And if not, you can try a different kind of sausage in this recipe (see recipe notes below.) Or, for a pescatarian version of this recipe, check out our Shrimp and Broccoli Skillet.
How to Serve this Shrimp and Chorizo?
When I first made this skillet shrimp, I served it simply as tapas with a side of bread (pita or whatever you like)….it made for a nice, heftier, option next to things like this 3-Ingredient Mediterranean Salad and Roasted Garlic Hummus. It was a fusion of Mediterranean appetizer that night, and all worked beautifully together.
Now, you can turn this skillet shrimp and Chorizo as part of dinner. Maybe turn it into dinner bowls with rice or your favorite grain. Heck, you might even like it next to Mujadara!
Skillet Shrimp Recipe with Chorizo and Squash
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: As tapas, serves 8
Description
Perfectly seasoned shrimp and Chorizo come together in this easy skillet shrimp recipe that takes on a South-of-Spain twist! Cooks in 20 minutes. Perfect as a hefty tapas (appetizer), or turn in into dinner.
Ingredients
- 1 lb large shrimp or prawns, peeled and deveined, tail can remain on (if shrimp is frozen, see note re thawing below)
- Salt and Pepper
- 3/4 tsp smoked paprika
- 3/4 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 7 Oz Spanish Chorizo (a little more if you like, and you can use cooked mild Chorizo or hot Chorizo), sliced
- Private Reserve extra virgin olive oil
- 1 summer squash, halved then sliced (half moons)
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 small hot pepper such as jalapeno pepper, optional
- 1/2 medium red onion, sliced
- Fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Pat shrimp dry and season with salt, pepper and the remaining spices. Toss to make sure shrimp is well coated with the spice mixture. Set aside for now.
- Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high. Add Chorizo and brown on both sides (about 4 minutes or so as Chorizo is already cooked.) Remove Chorizo to a side plate for now.
- In the same skillet, add a little extra virgin olive oil if needed (there should be a bit of Chorizo fat in skillet already thought). Add summer squash to the heated skillet. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper and sear undisturbed for about 3 to 4 minutes on one side. Turn over and sear another 2 minutes on the other side until nicely colored. Transfer squash to the plate of Chorizo for now.
- In the same skillet, now add a little extra virgin olive oil and tilt skillet to make sure the bottom is well coated. Be sure oil is well-heated until shimmering but not smoking. Now, add the shrimp (shrimp should sizzle upon contact.) Cook, stirring frequently, until shrimp flesh starts to turn a little pink, but still not quite fully cooked (about 3 minutes or so depending on size of shrimp.) Return the Chorizo and squash to the skillet. Toss to combine. Cook another 3 minutes or until shrimp turns fully pink and tails turn a bright red.
- Transfer the contents of the shrimp skillet to a large serving platter. Squeeze 1/2 lemon on top, and add sliced red onions and hot peppers (if using). Garnish with fresh parsley.
- You can serve as tapas (appetizer) with your bread of choice. Or turn it into dinner with a side of rice or your favorite grain.
Notes
- How to Thaw Shrimp: place frozen shrimp in a large colander in your sink and run cold water over them for 5 minutes or so. Be sure to toss the shrimp a bit so that all of it is exposed to the water.
- Alternatives to Spanish Chorizo: If cooked Spanish Chorizo is not available to you, you can use a different kind of sausage including Mexican Chorizo or Andouille sausage. Both will work well in this recipe (be sure to adjust cooking time if sausage is raw), although they will provide a different kind of flavor profile. Remember that other types of sausage will come in raw form and will require that you cook them well. You can still cook them in the same way in the skillet, but allow more time until you sausage is well browned and fully cooked through.You may also discard some of the cooking fat before moving to next step.
- Recommended for this recipe: all-natural smoked paprika; organic ground cumin; and our Private Reserve Greek extra virgin olive oil (from organically grown and processed Koroneiki olives)
- SAVE! Create your own 6 pack or 3 pack from our all-natural or organic Mediterranean spice collections! Try our Greek extra virgin olive oil bundle!
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Category: Entree
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
More Recipes to Try:
One-Pan Mediterranean Shrimp and Veggies
First of all, how fun that we had all of these ingredients on hand at 6 pm on a weekday! We did use ground chorizo. Otherwise followed the recipe nearly exactly. Amazing flavors! The 1# of shrimp/7 oz of chorizo serving size fed 2 of us well.
So glad you loved the recipe, Christine!!
I made this tonight with fresh chicken chorizo (hubby won’t eat beef or pork). He loved it!
Awesome! Thanks, Ann Marie!
Absolutely loved it. Substituted spicy Italian sausage for the chorizo and flash-fried the onions and jalapeno in the hot olive oil for a few seconds at the very end.
Thanks for sharing your variation, Collin! Sounds great
I made this dish Friday. I love the chorizo and shrimp combo! No left overs that night. My Husband gets excited when I make this same combo with couscous.
Thank you your recipes are inspiring and makes cooking exciting and fun again
Holly
Awesome, Holly! So excited you enjoyed it!
Made this last night. Another winner here Suzy. Served mine with garlic and herbs couscous with cool cucumber salad.
Thank you once again.
This is a great tasting dish!
Awesome! Thanks, Kelly!
Shrimp is my favorite! And I’m crazy about chorizo! This looks so delicious! I have to make this for dinner tonight! Thanks for the inspiration!
Wha a beautiful skillet! Everything looks so tempting and delicious! Mouthwatering!
This looks like a fantastic meal for a warm night on the back patio! Yum!
So many gorgeous colours, flavours and textures in this dish! It looks incredible, and so inviting! Where’s my fork… 🙂
Oh Suzy… this looks just fabulous! I love the idea of serving it with hummus too. Will totally be adding it to my recipes to try list! Pinning!
Thank you, sweets! So glad to hear from you. I can’t wait to hear what you think of this recipe once you try it!