Succulent prawns and smoky chorizo are a great couple! Stir them through a traditional creamy risotto and you have yourself an award-winning dish! Easy enough for a weeknight dinner, but also decadent and full of flavour to impress your fanciest guests, this Prawn and Chorizo Risotto is a keeper! Eight simple ingredients and some patient stirring of the risotto are all you need to have a wonderful dinner dish that everyone will ask for seconds of!
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Ingredients and Substitutions
This is a simple recipe requiring only a few ingredients, half of which you’re likely to find in your kitchen, waiting to be cooked.
- chorizo: a famous Spanish sausage is world-renowned for a reason. Smoky, slightly spicy and with bags of flavour, this is the most important ingredient to add to this risotto for the biggest flavour impact!
- risotto rice: Arborio and Carnaroli rice work well.
- onion: brown, white or red onions will work just fine in this recipe. You can even substitute it with shallots.
- stock: we used vegetable stock, but the chicken stock will work too.
- prawns: we used defrosted frozen cooked prawns without shells and tails.
- spinach: completely optional, but we think no meal is complete without some green vegetables.
- butter: unsalted butter is better, as chorizo, parmesan and stock add enough seasoning to this risotto.
- parmesan: can be substituted with other hard cheese, like Grana Padano.
Tips & Tricks for Creamy Risotto
- Choose the Right Rice for Risotto: Risotto rice needs to be short, starchy and able to withstand long cooking. The most popular varieties are Arborio and Carnaroli (and out of the two, our vote goes to Carnaroli). Both types of rice are perfect for slow cooking, allowing the flavours of stock to be infused into the grains without losing their shape.
- Toast the Rice: An important step in any risotto preparation is toasting the rice in a pan before adding any stock. This process seals the surface of the rice, helping it preserve its shape and retain the al dente texture.
- Keep the Stock Hot: Put your stock in a pan and keep it on low heat. This ensures an even cooking temperature. If your stock cools down, it will prolong the cooking time and your rice may become soggy in the process.
- Add Stock Little By Little: Not adding all the stock at the same time allows the rice to release its starch at a slow rate, making the risotto creamy. Another advantage of adding the stock gradually is being able to control how much of the stock is actually needed before the rice is cooked.
Method
Heat a large frying pan on medium-high heat. Add the chorizo cubes and fry until the oil has been released and the chorizo crisps up. Stir occasionally to make sure even browning on all sides.
When the chorizo is cooked, remove it from the pan and add the cooked (defrosted) prawns and stir for a minute to cover them in chorizo oil. Remove the prawns and reserve the pan for later.
On low heat, heat the reserved pan with a tablespoon of oil. Add the finely chopped onion and saute them for 5-6 minutes until softened. Increase the heat to medium and add the rice and stir carry on cooking for a couple of minutes, until the rice starts to crackle and turn translucent.
Pour in a ladleful of the hot stock and stir until it is all absorbed by the rice. Then add another ladleful and keep stirring. Keep adding stock once the previously added liquid has been fully absorbed. Keep stirring, as it helps the rice release the starch, making your risotto creamy.
When the rice is cooked al dente (soft but with a bit of texture in the middle), add the prawns and half of the chorizo alongside any oil/juices at the bottom of the bowl. Add the spinach. Stir for a minute to warm the prawns through and for the spinach to wilt.
Take the risotto off of the heat, stir in the butter and scatter the parmesan and the rest of the crispy chorizo on top. Enjoy!
Recipe FAQs
Yes. We recommend cooking the prawns before adding them to risotto, then stirring them through just long enough to warm up.
Of course, chorizo doesn’t have to be cooked to be safe to eat. However, the reasons for frying the chorizo first are twofold. First, it crisps up, adding a wonderful crispy and slightly chewy texture to your risotto. Secondly, when frying, chorizo releases the fat, making a lovely coating for prawns. The smoky chorizo oil is then added to the risotto giving it a lovely orange/red tint, not to mention a much stronger flavour.
Absolutely! Risotto is a popular starter around the world, and this recipe is a great one to start your meal with. Simply half the portion for a flavoursome starter! Or try our Gambas Pil Pil (Spanish Chilli Garlic Prawns) instead!
What to Serve Prawn and Chorizo Risotto With?
Typically, we serve risottos on their own, without any side dishes. However, if you fancy a little something extra with your risotto, consider having some of the following:
- Quick-Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
- Rocket and Parmesan Salad
- Lemon & Garlic Tenderstem Broccoli
Other Delicious Risotto Recipes
We love a good risotto in all seasons of the year. Have a look at our Risotto Recipes section. Some of our absolute favourites include:
- Risotto al Nero | Squid Ink Risotto
- Spinach and Mushroom Risotto with Pecan & Garlic Drizzle (Vegan)
- Blue Cheese Risotto with Sweet Potatoes & Walnuts (Vegetarian)
Other Dishes Using Chorizo
And if you are left with some Spanish sausage to use, we have a couple of wonderful recipes using Chorizo that are sure to impress.
Recipe Card
Prawn and Chorizo Risotto
Ingredients
- 100 g chorizo diced into small cubes
- 100 g prawns cooked, defrosted if frozen
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 180 g risotto rice
- 700 ml vegetable stock hot
- 100 g baby spinach optional
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 30 g Parmesan finely grated
Instructions
- Heat a large frying pan on medium-high heat. Add the chorizo cubes and fry until the oil has released and chorizo crisps up. Stir occasionally to make sure even browning on all sides.
- When chorizo is crispy, scrape it into a small bowl. Add the cooked (defrosted) prawns and stir for a minute to cover them in chorizo oil. Take the prawns out and reserve the pan for the next step.
- On low heat, heat the reserved pan with a tablespoon of oil. Add the finely chopped onion and saute them for 5-6 minutes until softened. Increase the heat to medium and add the rice and stir carry on cooking for a couple of minutes, until the rice starts to crackle and turn translucent.
- Pour in a ladleful of the hot stock and stir until it is all absorbed by the rice. Then add another ladleful and keep stirring. Keep adding stock once the previously added liquid has been fully absorbed. Keep stirring, as it helps the rice release the starch, making your risotto creamy.
- When the rice is cooked al dente (soft but with a bit of texture in the middle), add the prawns and half of the chorizo alongside any oil/juices at the bottom of the bowl. Add the spinach. Stir for a minute to warm the prawns through and for the spinach to wilt.
- Take the risotto off of the heat, stir in the butter and scatter parmesan and the rest of the chorizo on top. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Alex
Very easy and tasty without adding extra seasoning. It was a great recipe for our dinner!
Ieva
Thanks, Alex! Glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Katherine
I love the rich and bold flavors in this creamy risotto!
Dannii
Anything that combines chorizo and prawns is good with me. This risotto looks delicious.
Amanda Wren-Grimwood
This risotto was so delicious. The prawns and chorizo made this feel like a paella and the colours, texture and flavour was perfect.
Ieva
Yes, it’s exactly that! We always see it as a creamy version of paella! 🙂