Spicy Shrimp Couscous with Spanish Chorizo

This spicy shrimp couscous with smoky, garlicky Spanish chorizo is a serious flavor party in under 30 minutes! A little bit Moroccan, a little bit Spanish, and all around delicious, the whole family will absolutely love this easy one pot dinner. 

My family calls this recipe, “jazzed up couscous” for a reason! It’s a fun twist inspired by traditional Moroccan Couscous and Spanish Chorizo Pasta, with quick cooking shrimp and bold Mediterranean flavor-makers to marry everything together. 

Pulling this one-pot wonder together is a healthy dose of onions and garlic, a little fresh jalapeno for a kick, and feel-good Mediterranean spices like turmeric, paprika and cumin. It’s smoky, spicy, savory, garlicky, comforting, and very satisfying but not too heavy. Use this vibrant recipe to spice up your dinner routine!

Table of Contents

1. Spicy Shrimp Couscous Ingredients and Substitutions  
2. Ingredient Spotlight
3. How to Make Spicy Shrimp Couscous 
4. What to Serve with Shrimp Couscous 
5. More Couscous Recipes
6. Spicy Couscous Recipe with Shrimp and Chorizo Recipe

Spicy Shrimp Couscous Ingredients and Substitutions  

This recipe celebrates bold North African and Spanish flavors, with simple ingredients that are easy to find at most any grocery store. You’ll need:

• Spanish chorizo: Spanish chorizo is a pork sausage that’s heavily seasoned with smoked paprika, which gives it a boldly smoky flavor. Unlike Mexican chorizo, it’s dry-cured, so it only needs a quick crisp in a hot pan.
  • Note: If you use Mexican chorizo or fresh chorizo, just be sure to cook it through (160°F) before removing it from the pan.
• Olive oil: I love our peppery Spanish Hojiblanca with this recipe, but any high quality extra virgin variety will work well. 
• Onion and garlic bring their signature sweet and savory depth of flavor. I like the sweetness of yellow onion, but white onion or shallot work well too.
• Jalapeño complements the spice of the chorizo, adding a fresh kick. If you’re worried about the dish being too spicy, cut back to 1 jalapeño and remove the seeds.
• Spices: Turmeric, paprika, ground cumin add layers of earthy, warming, peppery flavor. Stock up at our spice shop.
• Kosher salt enhances the flavor.
• Shrimp: Use large shrimp or prawns. Frozen works, just be sure to defrost them first. For tips on sourcing, peeling and deveining shrimp, check out our guide to Buying And Cooking Shrimp.
• Couscous: Use fine to medium-grain couscous (not pearl, more information below).
• Parsley adds lifts the heaviness of the smoky chorizo and shrimp. The freshness is key–I wouldn’t substitute with dried herbs but cilantro or mint could work in its place. 

Ingredient Spotlight

Couscous, pronounced “Koose Koose,” is one of North Africa’s most popular and most versatile ingredients. And although it looks like a grain, it’s technically a pasta made with semolina flour from crushed durum wheat (in other words it is not gluten-free). There are three main kinds of couscous:  

• Pearl couscous: Thicker, named for its resemblance to small pearls.  
• Lebanese couscous: A bit larger–about the size of peas.
• Fine to medium couscous: Often labeled simply “couscous.” This is what I use in this recipe, as its small size and delicate feel lets the shrimp and chorizo do all the talking. 
• TRY IT: Try the Tunisian couscous from our shop, made from the finest durum wheat.

How to Make Spicy Shrimp Couscous 

This easy recipe requires very little cooking: the shrimp takes just a few minutes, the chorizo is already cured, and the smaller-grain couscous just takes a 5-10 minute soak to cook through. Easy as that! It comes together quickly, so it’s best ot get all your ready before you start. Here are the steps:

• Get ready. In a small pot over medium heat, bring 2 1/2 cups of water to a boil. Thinly slice 1 yellow onion. Finely chop 3 garlic cloves. Chop 2 jalapenos. Ready yourself 1 cup of chopped parsley leaves. Peel, devein, and rinse 1 1/2 pounds shrimp. Slice 6 ounces of Spanish chorizo into thin rounds.
• Crisp the chorizo. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large pot with a lid over medium-high. Add the chorizo and cook, stirring occasionally, just until crisp and brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to paper towels to drain.
• Sauté the onions. Turn the heat to medium. Add the onion, garlic, and jalapeño and stir briefly until the onions are translucent, about 4 minutes. 
• Cook the shrimp. Add 1 1/4 teaspoon each of turmeric, paprika, and cumin and stir to coat. Add the shrimp and raise the heat to medium-high. Cook the shrimp just until it is firm and pink, 3 to 4 minutes. Do not overcook the shrimp.
• Cook the couscous. Return the chorizo to the pot. Stir in 1 1/4 cup couscous, a drizzle of olive oil, dash of salt, and the boiling water. Immediately turn off the heat and cover. Let sit until the couscous has absorbed all of the liquid, 5 to 10 minutes. 
• Serve. Uncover and stir in the fresh parsley. Transfer to serving bowls and enjoy! 

What to Serve with Shrimp Couscous 

The beauty of a one-pot recipe like this spicy couscous is that you really don’t need to add much more to complete the meal. That said, I always like to add something bright to start with, like a big Three Bean Salad or Fattoush. If you’re making this for a big party, make a 2 pitchers: one with Red Sangria, one with Non-Alcoholic Sangria Mocktails.

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*This post first appeared on The Mediterranean Dish in February 2016 and has recently been updated with new media and information for readers’ benefit.