Home » All Recipes » Main Dishes » Seafood Dish » Shellfish » Spicy Shrimp Stew with Chorizo {Gluten Free}

Spicy Shrimp Stew with Chorizo {Gluten Free}

Spicy Shrimp Stew with Chorizo is an easy dinner with a bit of a kick, perfect for livening up your weeknight dinner. Layers of shrimp, chorizo, spice, citrus and couscous come together for a savory gluten-free dish.

A bowl of spicy shrimp stew with chorizo. A skillet of the stew is in the background of the shot.

A Bold, Spicy Shrimp Dish with Couscous and Chorizo

Don’t you love shrimp recipes? This spicy shrimp stew is super easy and perfect for a busy weeknight, but it’s special enough for a date night or birthday! Not only is it ready in thirty minutes, it’s also packed with so much flavor and protein. Not to mention vitamins and minerals like selenium and zinc. Selenium protects your cells from damaging free radicals, and helps you make thyroid hormones. Zinc nourishes your cell membranes and activates almost 100 enzymes important to your health. All good stuff.

If you like a little heat, you’ll love the way the hot sauce marries with the natural sweetness of the shrimp. Tossing in some asparagus adds a bit of green, while lemon zest and juice keep it all fresh and zingy! Once everything is cooked, tossed, and flavored, I like to just place the pan in the middle of the dinner table with a big spoon and let everyone serve themselves. I also like to put the hot sauce bottle out there for those crazy few who want even more of a spicy kick.

Lemon, garlic, hot sauce, shrimp, cilantro, chorizo, paprika, and melted butter.

The List of Ingredients

Want to know more? Here’s the list of mouthwatering ingredients you’ll need to make this hearty seafood stew. (For the printable recipe card, scroll to the bottom of this post.)

  • Butter: Melted, unsalted butter or ghee.
  • Hot Sauce: I used Frank’s Red Hot Sauce.
  • Garlic: Fresh minced garlic is best, but garlic powder will work if that’s what you have on hand. 
  • Lemon: Juice one organic lemon, and grate up a couple of teaspoons of zest.
  • Paprika: I like sweet smoked paprika for a little smokiness.
  • Shrimp: Jumbo shrimp, deveined and peeled, tails removed.
  • Chorizo: Take the casings off and cut the sausages into slices.
  • Asparagus: Ends trimmed off, and cut into half-inch pieces.
  • Broth: I use low-sodium vegetable broth, but you can substitute chicken broth.
  • Couscous: Gluten-free couscous.
  • Cilantro: Chopped.
Lemon zest on a cutting board.

Are Frozen Shrimp as Good as Fresh?

Actually, it’s often better! Most shrimp are frozen soon after being caught, so the freshest shrimp might just be the kind you buy in the freezer aisle, rather than the thawed stuff at the supermarket fish counter.

Worried about thawing time? Getting your shrimp thawed is no big thing. You can thaw your shrimp overnight in the fridge, or speed things up, take the shrimp out of its package, put it in a colander, and let cold water run over your shrimp. The shrimp will be defrosted and ready to cook in record time, like lickity split time.

Shrimp marinating in spicy sauce.

How to Make Spicy Shrimp Stew with Chorizo

This quick dish comes together in a snap, thanks to quick-cooking shrimp and easy couscous. Here’s how to make it.

Marinate the Shrimp for 10 Minutes. In a medium bowl, combine the shrimp, melted butter, hot sauce, garlic, lemon juice, and paprika. Give this a stir and set it aside for 10 minutes to marinate.

Make the Couscous. Meanwhile, cook the couscous according to the package directions. Then drain it, and set it aside.

Make the Shrimp Stew. Next, set a large saucepan over medium-high heat and add the shrimp with all of the sauce, as well as the asparagus, chorizo, and vegetable broth. Cook, turning all the ingredients and making sure that the shrimp gets cooked on both sides. (They should take 3 – 4 minutes per side, for a total cooking time of 8 minutes.) 

Finish the Dish. Turn the heat down to low. Add the lemon zest and drained couscous to the pan, and toss gently to coat. Remove from the heat, and let the dish stand for 5 minutes. Toss in the cilantro and serve.

Enjoy!

Asparagus cut into 1/2-inch lengths.

Tips for Success

When it comes to making this recipe, the steps are really very easy and quick. These helpful tips will make easy shrimp stew even easier.

  • Deveining and Peeling: It’s convenient to purchase shrimp already peeled and deveined, but if yours are not, you’ll need to do this yourself before cooking them. Just pull the shells off of the shrimp starting with the legs, and then use a small knife to score the outer curve of the shrimp tail. Remove the dark line inside and rinse with cool water.
  • Shrimp Tails: Leaving the tails on or off is up to you. Tails off make the shrimp easier to eat, and this is my preference. However, leaving them on is okay too, and can make the broth even more flavorful.
  • Chorizo Options: No chorizo? No worries – use another dry, cured sausage, such as Andouille.
A skillet of shrimp stew with couscous.

What to Serve with This Spicy Shrimp Stew

Serve this up with your favorite veggie side dishes. Not sure what to make? Try these tried-and-true side dish recipes!

  • Salad: A fresh, green salad is always a sure bet. This Chopped Italian Salad is one of the best! Plus, it’s paleo-friendly and gluten-free.
  • Brussels Sprouts: Besides being nutritional powerhouses, Brussels sprouts are also scrumptious, especially in this recipe for shaved Sautéed Brussels Sprouts with butter, olive oil, and a little balsamic vinegar.
  • Grilled Veggies: Want one side dish that’ll do it all? Try making a big Grilled Veggie Plate! Everyone can have what they love best. Use an outdoor grill in summer, and a good grill pan when cool weather hits.

How to Store and Reheat

Leftover shrimp stew can hang out in the fridge for 2 – 3 days. Store it in an airtight container or jar, and reheat slowly over medium heat. You want to reheat just until everything is warmed through, but be careful not to overcook the shrimp or it will be tough.

Spicy Shrimp Chorizo Stew is the perfect easy recipe with a bit of kick to liven up your weeknight dinner. Layers of shrimp, chorizo, spice, citrus and couscous come together for a healthy gluten free dish. | ahealthylifeforme.com

Spicy Shrimp Chorizo Stew

Spicy Shrimp Chorizo Stew is the perfect easy recipe with a bit of kick to liven up your weeknight dinner. Layers of shrimp, chorizo, spice, citrus and couscous come together for a healthy gluten free dish.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoon unsalted butter melted or ghee
  • 2 tablespoons hot pepper sauce {I used Franks}
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • Juice of 1 organic lemon plus 2 teaspoons grated peel
  • 2 teaspoons sweet smoked paprika
  • 16 jumbo shrimp deveined and peeled with tail removed
  • 3/4 pound chorizo sausage casings removed, cut into slices {about 3 sausages}
  • 1 bunch of asparagus trimmed and cut into 1/2” pieces
  • 1 cups low sodium vegetable broth
  • 2 cups gluten free couscous
  • 1-2 tablespoons of Cilantro chopped

Instructions

  • In a medium bowl toss together the shrimp, 3 tablespoons of melted butter, hot sauce, garlic, lemon juice and paprika. Set aside for 10 minutes.
  • In a medium saucepan cook couscous according to directions, drain and set aside.
  • Heat a large saucepan over medium high heat and add shrimp all the sauce, asparagus, chorizo and vegetable broth. Cook turning all the ingredients making sure that the shrimp gets cooked on both sides. It should take 3-4 minutes per side of shrimp for a total cooking time of 8 minutes. Broth will reduce down a bit.
  • Lower heat to low and lemon zest and drained couscous to the pan and toss to coat. Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Toss in cilantro and serve.
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American

Categories:

More Flavorful Shrimp Recipes

Are you following me on InstagramTwitterFacebook and Pinterest? Thanks for reading and subscribe to A Healthy Life For Me  to have each post delivered straight to your e-mail box.

Spicy Shrimp Chorizo Stew is the perfect easy recipe with a bit of kick to liven up your weeknight dinner. Layers of shrimp, chorizo, spice, citrus and couscous come together for a healthy gluten free dish. | ahealthylifeforme.com
Shrimp Jambalaya Recipe | ahealthylifeforme.com
Spicy Shrimp Chorizo Stew is the perfect easy recipe with a bit of kick to liven up your weeknight dinner. Layers of shrimp, chorizo, spice, citrus and couscous come together for a healthy gluten free dish. | ahealthylifeforme.com

Let Us Know What You Think!

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating:




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

2 comments on “Spicy Shrimp Stew with Chorizo {Gluten Free}”

  1. Dear Amy, I don’t think there is anything more delicious than chorizo and shrimp…this stew sounds marvelous! What a beautiful meal. xo, Catherine

Scroll to Top