Chorizo & Prawns in Fino Sherry

The marriage of smoky, sweet chorizo sausage with sweet, tender prawns (shrimp) is quite the surprise. The two are made for each other. Learn how to make this amazing Spanish combination.

This Spanish dish of Chorizo & Prawns in Fino Sherry is the perfect communal food. I'm big into sharing plates - it's how 90% of my meals are presented. I love a full table of dishes that people can weave their arms around - picking, dipping and pouring to create all manner of combinations of flavours.

I also like to serve a dish in one pot or pan that becomes the communal trough (for want of a better word). It looks great, keeps the food hot and saves on washing up - what's not to love?

I ate a lot of communal food in Spain - delightful paellas, char grilled meats, salads and stews. Of course, there's also the communal style food of Tapas, which made Spanish cuisine the envy of the World. It seems, in Spain that eating together and sharing food together is in the blood.

What's Ahead?

A fino romance

When you combine these two great flavours with a third, quintessentially Spanish flavour, Fino sherry - you're in unchartered realms of flavour. It's a flavour combination unlike anything else - earthy, sweet, fruity and musky - a flavour bomba!

The flavour is obviously what makes this a success, but it's also in one pan, so you lose none of the cooking magic, long after the chorizo and prawns are devoured - you'll be fighting and nudging for every last onion, every last bit of garlic and drip of oil. Bread enables you to scoop and mop all this dish has to offer. I swear, I've tried to wipe off the non-stick of the pan for more of this sauce.

This is why there's quite a lot of extra virgin olive oil added at the end - it's for your own good, I swear - it prolongs the experience by valuable minutes. Trust in me.

Why it works?

It has ALL the flavours! - There's a real celebration of flavours going on here! Prawns and Chorizo are just made for each other and there's nobody can tell me otherwise. Fino Sherry really takes us to a Spanish taverna too. It's an amazing combo of everything!

Stuff You'll Need

Introductory sentence + ingredients

• Prawns - in its uncooked state. I prefer to peel and devein first as it makes everything easier to eat from the pan while it's hot.
• Spanish cured Chorizo - the slightly firm type - has a tonne of sweet and smoky paprika in it, which is where all that quintessential Spanish flavour comes from.
• Red onion and garlic start off the dish, fried in some extra virgin olive oil.
• Spanish paprika - to up the ante on smoky sweetness I add a little more paprika. I'll usually use the sweet style, but if I want a little chilli heat I'll crack open the spicy variety. You can decide which you prefer.
• Fresh oregano or thyme - a little fresh herbal injection is lovely. I've been known to chuck a buit of marjoran or tarragon in too. It should be the fresh variety, not dried on this occasion.
• Fino sherry - has that unique Spanish deep richness to it that just transforms this dish from great into truly delicous. If you can't get hold of Fino, use a little dry white wine or even a DRY cider. (Nothing sweet as it will ruin the flavour of the dish.)
• Garnishes - come in the form of fresh lemon wedges and a generous scattering of fresh parsley.

Step by Step

Making this dish is pretty easy and fail-safe. Here's where you'll put in all that work.

1. Step 1 - In a large frying pan over a moderate heat, heat 2 tablespoons of oil. Add the onion and let it fry for 1-2 minutes.
2. Step 2 - Add the chorizo and garlic and let them sizzle for 2-3 minutes, stirring regularly.
3. Step 3 - Add the paprika, oregano, and then prawns and stir for 1 minute before adding the Fino sherry. Let the sherry bubble for 1-2 minutes to completely burn off the alcohol. Add around 1/2 cup water and continue to bubble.
4. Step 4 - Cook the sauce, shaking the pan regularly to reduce the sauce by half (about 4 minutes). Pour in the remaining oil (I KNOW! It sounds like a lot of oil, but trust me - you'll be dipping your bread into this with wanton abandon, minutes from now so you'll thank me). Let the oil cook for 10-20 seconds then remove from the heat. You are almost done.
5. Step 5 - Season with salt & pepper. Use salt with caution as chorizo can be salty, so just taste before to see if it needs any. Squeeze over the lemon juice and sprinkle generously with parsley.

Serving & Storage Suggestions

• Serve - This dish is best served hot, direct from the pan without delay. I like to serve mine with lots of bread to soak up all the sauce alongside some lemon wedges and maybe a salad if I'm feeling wholesome!
• Fridge - If there are leftovers I would suggest wrapping them and string in the fridge for 2-3 days. Either eat cold or warm gently in the Microwave. Be careful to not heat too much as you'll ruin the prawns/shrimp.
• Freezer - On this occasion I don't advocate freezing - it's a dish best eaten fresh.

Ready to get cooking?

Nobody can prepare you for just how amazingly the sweet, smoky Spanish chorizo works with sweet, delicate prawns. On paper, it will never work - pork and seafood! Sounds gross, yes? Hell no, it's divine! That's all you need. This pan of Authentic Spanish greatness and a good loaf of crusty bread. And maybe a salad, to cut through all the richness. It's one of my easiest and tastiest Spanish dishes to make at home. Hope you enjoy!

More delicious Spanish recipes

If you liked this yummy recipe then be sure to try some my other delicious Spanish recipes.

• Spanish Chicken
• Chorizo Tapas with Fino Sherry
• Pisto Manchego
• Spanish Roasted Red Pepper Salad
• Spanish Bean & Chorizo Stew
• Spanish Eggplant Salad
• Spanish Jamón Croquetas
• Asparagus tapas with smoked alioli
• Pork Ribs with Sherry & Garlic
• Pinchos Morunos

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