Mexican Fideos with Shrimp and Chorizo
Monday, May 7, 2012 at 12:26PM 
Many of you are already aware of my love for pasta and have an inkling of how much I adore Mexican food, and won’t at all be surprised at how excited I am about this recipe. I couldn’t believe my luck when I found it…Mexican pasta?? Really? I’m in!! And boy howdy, am I ever in. This is just phenomenal stuff. But, really, how could it not be? Chorizo, shrimp, little fideo noodles, and tomatoes all simmered together to create some incredibly delicious flavors. It’s fun food that tastes sublime and is ever so easy to throw together.
The origins of most fideos dishes are Spanish, and this one resembles a paella-like dish made with mussels and shrimp and baked in a cazuela. Although this is a knock-off, short-cut version, it definitely has enough personality to demand its own respect. It has mine, I’ll tell you.
And in case you’re unfamiliar, fideos are short little pasta noodles about 2 inches long. Sometimes they come coiled in little nests, but for this recipe, the little short ones work best. If you can’t find them, you can just break some thin spaghetti or angel hair pasta into 2-inch pieces.
As for the chorizo, you can use your favorite brand, but I was able to find Aidell’s chicken chorizo at Costco. Of course, I had to buy enough to fill my freezer and I’m pretty sure it’s enough to last until I’m about 70, but I’m thinking it’s going to be well worth it. As long as I keep some shrimp in there too, I’m set to make this as often as I want. And that, I’m thinking, is going to be pretty often. Here’s the recipe…
Mexican Fideos with Shrimp and Chorizo
Click here for a printable recipe
Recipe courtesy of the San Francisco Chronicle
Serves 4
The word fideos refers to a short spaghetti-like noodle that's used often in Spanish cooking. If you can't find them in the store, simply break up thin spaghetti into 2-inch lengths. And if you can’t get your hands on Cotija cheese, you can easily substitute feta cheese.
2 tablespoons olive oil
8 ounces fideos or spaghettini broken into 2-inch lengths
8 ounces Mexican-style chorizo
1/2 large onion, diced small (about 1 cup)
Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin (optional)
1 15-ounce can chopped tomatoes
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
Chopped fresh cilantro
Cotija cheese, for garnish
Instructions: Warm the olive oil in a shallow stockpot over medium heat until hot, but not smoking. Add the fideos or broken spaghettini to the pot, and cook, stirring frequently, until toasted and golden brown, about 5-6 minutes. Remove from the pot and set aside.
Remove the chorizo from the casing and break it up or crumble into the pot. Continue to break it into crumbles as you stir. Cook for about 2-3 minutes; add the onions and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and cumin, if using.
Add the pasta back to the pot; stir in the chopped tomatoes and 2 cups of the broth. Turn heat to high and boil, stirring occasionally, until the broth has been mostly absorbed.
Season the shrimp, and stir it into the pot with the final cup of broth; reduce heat and simmer until the shrimp is cooked through and there is barely any liquid left, about 10-12 minutes. Season to taste.
Spoon into bowls and garnish with crumbled cotija cheese and a sprinkling of chopped cilantro.
Patrice Berry
There have been a few questions and comments about the chorizo in this recipe, which I hope I can help clear up. Firstly, there really is a big difference between Spanish and Mexican chorizo. The Spanish chorizo is more of a cured meat that can be sliced and eaten as is. It is most often served cold with cheeses and tapas. Mexican chorizo, on the other hand is more of a spicy sausage that is ususally removed from its casing, crumbled and cooked into dishes such as this one. I did note in the ingredients list that this recipe calls for a Mexican-styled chorizo, and I used Aidells' chicken chorizo which was really good in this.
Hope that clears up the confusion, but I will be happy to answer any other questions you might have in the comments section. Enjoy!
Reader Comments (16)
This is going on my menu this week! Thanks for the recipe!
Shrimp ans chorizo are two of my favorite foods. I can't wait to try them together in this. Wow!
I didn't know they made chicken chorizo. I've got to find myself some of that! This looks so good. Nice photo too.
I had a fideo dish at a restaurant in L.A. a few months ago and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. Like you said, it had mussels and shrimp, no chorizo but it was super spicy. I can't wait to try this. It looks awesome. Thanks for the recipe!
This looks dee-lish! Do you think I could use cooked shrimp though? That's what I have in my freezer right now.
You could go ahead and use the cooked shrimp, but it won't have quite the flavors that it would otherwise pick up from cooking in the sauce with the chorizo. I usually shy away from buying pre-cooked shrimp because it just doesn't have the flavor and texture of shrimp that you cook yourself. But go ahead and use it, just heat them through in the sauce at the end. Enjoy!
What a fabulous dish! Definitely putting this one on my "make soon" list!!
Found this recipe and a link to your blog on the Cooking Channel TV website. So glad I came across it. Great recipe and I love your blog!
A friend introduced me to your blog yesterday and I've already tried two recipes. My spice-averse 8 year old and my picky 5 year old both had multiple servings of this recipe - what a success! They suggested putting it on the regular rotation. We don't eat pork and I couldn't find chicken chorizo today at Costco, but our grocery store carries a soy-based chorizo. The texture isn't as good as the chicken chorizo, but it worked well for flavor. Many thanks!
So great to hear from you, Heather! And I'm glad your kids liked this one... it's part of our regular rotation now too. Thanks so much for letting us know!
I have never left feedback for any recipe--here or on other sites--but this recipe is a superstar, top restaurant quality. I made it last week for the two of us, and again, last night for guests, and it is a winner. Thanks for posting this!
Thanks so much, Sam, and for letting us know! And I'm so glad your comment came through this time! And I'm really glad you liked the fideos - it's become one of our favorites too! And thank you so much for letting me know about the comment glitch. I hope others will be as forthcoming if they have any difficulties with the website.
I am a little confused, the chorizo you used is a Spanish not Mexican styled Chorizo. Does this recipe call for a Mexican or Spanish chorizo? Before anyone says "same thing!" no, not one bit!
As I noted in the ingredients list, this recipe calls for Mexican-style chorizo, not the Spanish chorizo, which would not work here at all.
Living in Eastern TN, I found only one choice of chorizo and it was made under a Mexican brand. I recently was in Barcelona and chorizo wasn't even listed as ingredients in a similar type dish.
It makes sense, Sam, that you wouldn't find chorizo in a dish like this in Spain because in Spain, chorizo is more of a cured meat, which is often served sliced with cheeses and other tapas, while the Mexican chorizo is a spicy sausage that you find cooked as it is in this recipe. Hope that helps!