This is one of those recipes that will really impress your guests, and only you know how easy it was.  Of course, you will SAY the recipe took hours to perfect, and you learned how to make these Chorizo Stuffed Shrimp in the kitchen of a famous chef! I won’t tell on you.

While this recipe does take some prep time, specifically cleaning and butterflying the shrimp.  But if you have a really good fish/butcher department in your grocery store, you can ask the butcher to peel, de-vein and butterfly the shrimp for you.

If you are doing it yourself, make sure you have a sharp paring knife and a paper towel.

1. Peel the shrimp, leaving the last section and the tail on.
2. Using a sharp knife, cut cleanly through the back of the shrimp, removing the vein. I find it easy to wipe the vein onto a paper towel. Cut almost to the front of the shrimp, so the flesh opens up like butterfly wings.
3. Do not throw the shells away. Freeze them for shrimp stock. (don’t worry, I’ll be posting a recipe on how to make shrimp stock and what to do with it.)

One of the stores where I shop grinds their own ground meats, and also makes fresh sausages. This week they had bulk Mexican chorizo sausage, which is one of my favorites. I usually eat chorizo and eggs for breakfast, with warm tortillas. But the spicy, chile laden flavor is good in all sorts of dishes.

They also had wild caught shrimp on sale, and I knew that an introduction needed to be made between the chorizo and the shrimp! They were a match made in heaven.

Be sure to brown and drain the chorizo well.

Carefully spoon the sausage onto each shrimp, then top with Panko crumbs. I lined the baking sheet with foil to make clean up easy, as the crumbs and sausage tend to get all over.

Bake, eat and enjoy!