Shrimp and White Beans
Garlicky Shrimp with creamy white beans and Spanish chorizo in a simple tomato sauce. A simple meal with so many variations but one thing that stays consistent is how comforting this dish is. I love it with fresh crusty bread or on toasted crostini. It can easily be served with rice and salad for all well rounded dinner. The creaminess of the beans stand out against the chewiness of the sausage and tender shrimp and the smoky paprika rounds out all the flavours. Typically more of a Spanish dish, this recipe can easily be turned into more of a Greek dish or Italian or Portuguese (more variations below) depending on what spices you use and even what type of sausage you use. It’s fabulous no matter what you choose. This is a delicious recipe that hails from Bon appetit. I added some of my favourite things to flavour this dish a little more and sort of made it my own. I hope you enjoy this version as much as we do!
Why you will love this garlic shrimp and white beans dish:
- It’s made in under 30 minutes
- It’s easy to make
- Uses simple pantry staples
- It makes a perfect all in one meal, or you can serve it with cooked spaghetti, rice or crusty bread.
- It’s hearty, filling and comforting
- It’s adaptable
- Perfect for busy weeknights when you need to get dinner ready quickly.
- You decide how spicy you want the stew and adjust accordingly.
- You can substitute shrimp with prawns.
- Cheaper and better than takeout or restaurant meal.
Ingredients for this shrimp and white bean stew:
Detailed ingredient list and directions in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Shrimp - You can substitute with prawns to make it prawn stew. I used frozen but you could use fresh too. To defrost frozen shrimp: Put them in a large bowl and cover with water, swishing around every 5 minutes or so until thawed.
- White beans - I used canned but you could cook your own dried beans for this recipe - you will need approx 1 cup of dried beans cooked until tender.
- Shallot - or you could use one small onion
- Chorizo - I used Spanish chorizo. This is optional but adds so much flavour to this sauce and overall dish. Feel free to substitute it with bacon if you wish or any sausage you like. Spanish chorizo is dry cured and not raw so it doesn’t require cooking. Raw sausages and bacon will need to be sautéed until cooked through increasing overall cooking time.
- Garlic - I used 4 cloves of garlic but I could even go with 5 in this dish. For me especially when it comes to shrimp the more garlicky they are the better! Feel free to use less if you prefer less garlic.
- Tomato paste - for extra richness
- Tomatoes - Fresh or canned chopped tomatoes. I like to use the ones that are finely chopped
- Chili flakes - the original recipe called for 2 dried chiles de árbol which are available at Latin markets, or specialty foods stores. Feel free to use those or use as much or as little chili flakes as you like.
- Smoked paprika & oregano - feel free to substitute with any spices you like if you prefer - I have some other fun suggestions below for variations
- Wine and broth - wine is optional for deglazing and flavouring and does not need to be replaced with anything if not using. Broth can be replaced with water if needed.
- Parsley - for serving
How to make shrimp stew
Make this delicious under 30-minute dinner with a few pantry staples — frozen shrimp, canned beans, tomatoes and seasonings. First get all ingredients ready.
- If using fresh shrimps, devein and clean, if using frozen shrimp, defrost by putting in colander and running under water for few minutes. Toss them with the aromatics and set aside.
- Heat oil in pan add in shallots and sausage. Sauté for 1-2 minutes
- Add aromatics and tomato paste then deglaze with wine if using
- Add broth tomatoes and beans and simmer until thickened and reduced
- Spread shrimp over the sauce and either stir them in and simmer some more to cook them or as noted in the recipe below get them under the broiler for a few minutes until cooked through - see recipe notes below about another cooking option.
- Finish them with a drizzle of olive oil and some chopped parsley and serve with crusty bread, pasta or rice.
Other Shrimp and white bean flavour Variations:
- Italian Tuscan style - use Italian sausage, play up the oregano and thyme or Rosemary and stir in some Tuscan kale or some sort of greens, finish with some freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- Cajun style - use Cajun seasoning, andouille sausage and add some sweet bell peppers
- Greek style - use Loukaniko a type of Greek sausage, play up the oregano and add some bell Peppers and finish off with some feta cheese
- Mexican style - use Mexican chorizo, play up the oregano with cumin, chipotle chili powder or your favourite Mexican spice blend and definitely add in some bell peppers and even some poblanos
How to store
To store leftover shrimp stew, put in airtight container, label and store In the fridge– It will last in fridge for up to 4 days. In the freezer– Store in the freezer for up to 6 months. To reheat– Put in the fridge overnight to defrost and heat up on the stove or microwave when ready to eat.
Other shrimp dishes you will love:
Recipe
Servings: 4
Prep Time: 5-10 mins
Cook Time: 20 mins
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled, deveined (I leave tails on but that is optional)
- ½ lb chorizo or any smoked sausage, sliced (optional)
- 1 shallot peeled and minced
- ½ teaspoon Chili flakes (more or less according to taste)
- 4 garlic cloves, minced, divided
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- 1 bay leaf fresh or dry
- 1 heaping tablespoon tomato paste
- ¼ cup wine, red or white (optional)
- One 14.5 oz. can chopped tomatoes with their juices (I like to use the ones that are finely chopped) - approx 1½ cups chopped fresh tomatoes
- salt, freshly ground pepper to taste
- 2 15-ounce cans white beans (such as cannellini), rinsed, drained
- ¼ cup low-sodium chicken broth plus more if needed
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
- Crusty bread or Grilled bread for serving (optional)
Directions
- Place shrimp in a bowl with some of the garlic (a half-teaspoon or so), 2 tablespoon of the olive oil, oregano, half the paprika, season with salt and pepper and toss to combine.
- Preheat broiler * Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in a large, heavy, ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add shallot and chorizo and cook until chorizo start to crisp up - just a couple of minutes.
- Add the remaining garlic, chili flakes, and bay leaf and cook, stirring constantly, just until fragrant, 1–2 minutes (do not allow garlic to burn). Add tomato paste and cook stirring another 1-2 minutes.
- Deglaze pan with wine if using scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Stir in chopped tomatoes, beans, broth and paprika. Bring to a simmer and cook until juices are reduced and thickened, 5-10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Scatter shrimp over beans in an even layer. Place pan in preheated oven and broil until shrimp are golden and cooked through, about 3-5 minutes *
- Carefully remove pan from oven. Drizzle remaining 2 Tablespoons of oil over shrimp and beans; garnish with parsley. Serve with crusty bread or over crostini if desired.
- Leftovers will keep refrigerated in a sealed container for up to 4 days.
Recipe Notes
- Cooking the shrimp: the original recipe calls for laying the shrimp on top of the stew then broiling a few minutes until they are cooked through. There are two other options for cooking them. I have tried them all and they are all delicious. Option 2 is to give the shrimp a very quick sear in the pan with the chorizo just enough to flavour them but not cooking them through - remove and set aside then stir them in at the end when the sauce is done they will finish cooking from the heat of the sauce. Options 3 - is just simply adding them to the sauce at the end and stirring them into the sauce and allowing them to simmer along with it until they are fully cooked. Whatever you chose just be mindful of not overcooking the shrimp.
