This easy shrimp paella recipe is a delicious Spanish-inspired rice dish that's surprisingly simple to make at home, with no special equipment required. Made with tender shrimp, spicy chorizo, and traditional Bomba rice, it delivers classic paella flavors in one pan and comes together in one hour.
For more rice recipes, try my Italian shrimp and rice, rice-stuffed tomatoes, or bok choy fried rice.
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Quick Look: Easy Shrimp Paella Recipe
⏱️ Prep Time: 20 minutes
🍳 Cook Time: 40 minutes
🕒 Total Time: 60 minutes
👥 Servings: 6
📊 Calories: ~379 kcal per serving (based on nutrition panel)
🔥 Cook Method: Stovetop-based
👩🍳 Main Ingredients: Bomba rice, shrimp
⭐ Difficulty: Easy-everything cooks in one pan
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Why You'll Love This Easy Shrimp Paella Recipe
One-pan ease: With no special equipment needed and straightforward steps, this one-pan meal is simple, even for less-experienced cooks.
Flavor explosion: Shrimp, chorizo, olives, saffron-it's all here.
Versatile recipe: This shrimp paella is simple enough for a family weeknight dinner but elegant enough to serve to dinner guests.
Is chorizo traditional in paella?
Traditional Spanish paella, especially paella Valenciana, doesn't include chorizo. But its bold, irresistible flavor is commonly used in variations of this classic dish.
This easy shrimp paella recipe contains crowd-pleasing ingredients: shrimp, chorizo, olives, and rice!
Although this recipe is made with the more traditional Bomba rice, you can also make it with Calasparra or even Arborio rice.
With that said, this version of paella is still not authentic. I don't fill it with what many regard as traditional ingredients (e.g., chicken, rabbit, and green beans).
Instead, I opt for a more economical version, focusing on what I think offers the most palatable punch: chorizo and shrimp. You can, however, elevate with additional seafood like scallops, calamari, and mussels.
Ingredient-Stretching Tip: Use any leftover chorizo to make this chorizo pasta, potato and chorizo soup, or lentejas stew.
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Key Ingredients
See the recipe card for full ingredient and quantity information.
- Bomba Rice: A common short-grain rice used in paella.
- Raw Shrimp: Wild-caught shrimp offer greater freshness, texture, and flavor than farm-raised shrimp.
- Saffron Threads: Saffron is essential in paella, giving the rice its beautiful golden color.
- Seafood Stock: This enhances the seafood flavor of this rice dish.
- Spanish Chorizo: This dried, cured sausage is the heart of this dish.
Variations & Substitutions
➢Add other types of seafood, such as scallops, mussels, and calamari.
➢Linguiça can be used in place of Spanish chorizo.
➢Add other traditional ingredients like chicken and green beans for more authenticity.
➢Use Calasparra rice if you can't find Bomba. You can also use Arborio rice in a pinch.
➢Substitute the smoked paprika with ordinary paprika.
➢Use chicken stock if you can't find seafood stock. Broth is fine, too.
➢Use any green olives you like.
How to Make This Easy Shrimp Paella Recipe
Step 1: Cook the chorizo until browned, then transfer to a plate.
Step 2: Cook the onions and bell peppers until soft and golden.
Step 3: Stir in the rice, then pour in the wine and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Stir in the saffron and paprika.
Step 4: Pour in the seafood stock, salt, and pepper, then simmer until the rice is tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed.
Step 5: Nestle the raw shrimp into the rice and top with the olives. Cook until the shrimp is cooked through, 6-8 minutes. Add more stock if needed.
Step 6: Return the cooked chorizo to the rice and shrimp and stir everything together. Garnish with the parsley and serve.
Pro Tips
➢Use a paella pan: A large, shallow paella pan allows the rice to cook more evenly and better absorb the liquid from the stock. If you don't have a paella pan, use the largest, shallowest pan you have for best results.
➢Cover the pan: Keep a lid on the pan after pouring in the broth, which will prevent the liquid from evaporating and cause the rice to take longer to cook.
Easy Shrimp Paella Recipe FAQs
No, you don't. I use one, but you can use any pan wide enough to keep the rice layer as thin as possible. However, you'll note that a Dutch oven was used for the step-by-step photos above, and it worked well.
Socarrat refers to the bottom of the rice that starts to "scorch" once the broth evaporates from the pan. You can choose to complete this step before adding the shrimp, or skip it. Sometimes I do it, and sometimes I don't, but this recipe doesn't include that step to keep it more user-friendly.
Bomba is the most widely used in authentic paella, but you can also use Calasparra. If you only have Arborio, you can use that as well. I use Arborio rice a lot, including in this rice and shrimp dish and creamy butternut squash risotto.
Refrigerator: Store in an airtight container and consume within 2 days.
Freezer: I don't recommend freezing paella, as it can become mushy when reheated.
Reheat: Reheat in the oven, covered, until warmed through. You can also reheat in the microwave.
Related Recipes
If you love this recipe, please take a moment to review it below. You could also tag me on Instagram (@forcarbssake) with a picture of your finished dish!
Easy Shrimp Paella Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 ounces Spanish chorizo casing(s) removed and sliced into ¼" pieces
- 1 small yellow onion peeled and diced
- 1 red bell pepper seeded and diced
- 1 green bell pepper seeded and diced
- 1 and ½ cups Bomba rice
- ¼ cup dry white wine (Note 1)
- ¼ teaspoon saffron threads a rounded ¼ teaspoon
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 3 cups low-sodium seafood stock plus more, if needed
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt (Note 2)
- Ground black pepper
- 16 ounces raw shrimp peeled and deveined (Note 3)
- ½ cup green pimiento olives sliced in half lengthwise
- Handful Italian flat-leaf parsley minced, optional
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium-low to medium heat. Add the chorizo and cook for a couple of minutes until it starts to brown. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Add the onions and bell peppers, and sauté until soft and golden, about 8 minutes.
- Add the rice, give it a quick toss, then pour in the wine and simmer for 2 minutes, stirring often. Quickly stir in the saffron and paprika.
- Pour in the stock, bring to a high simmer, and season with the salt and pepper. Reduce to low, cover the pan, and simmer until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes. If it's still too firm, pour in more stock and cook for a little longer.
- Nestle the shrimp into the rice. Garnish with the olives and top with about ¼ cup or more stock if the rice looks dry. Cover the pan and let the shrimp cook through fully, 6-8 minutes. You may need to flip the shrimp once, halfway through its cook time.
- Add the chorizo back in, and garnish with the parsley, if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
- Ensure you cover the pan with a lid while simmering the rice. You don't want any of the liquid to evaporate.
Nutrition
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This paella was really easy to prepare, and the shrimp and chorizo are so delish. The rice was also flavorful. I can't wait to make this again, and it's great for company!