Fideos with Chorizo and Mussels

This was my first attempt at making the Spanish pasta Fideos at home and I can honestly tell you this is one of the best dishes I’ve ever made. Creamy, smoky, with a touch of heat from the chorizo, this is a winner. And it’s so simple to make!

The garlic paprika aioli really sends it over the edge. You’ll want to serve this dish with good, crusty bread to mop up all of the flavor. I won’t judge you if you lick the plate! It can be our little secret. Start with less garlic in the aioli if you’re not a big garlic fan. I’m a huge garlic fan so I went for three cloves. Yum!

You can also swap out clams for the mussels if it strikes your fancy. I used a hard Spanish cheese grated on top but you could also use Parmesan in a pinch, or whatever hard Spanish cheese your store happens to have. Don’t stress out about it.

Fideos with Chorizo and Mussels

12 oz angel hair pasta

2 Tbsp olive oil
6 ounces chorizo, skin removed and chopped
2 large cloves garlic, sliced
4 cups chicken broth*
1 can fire-roasted tomatoes
1 tsp sugar
Ground sea salt to taste
1 pound mussels or clams
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 scallions, thinly sliced
Italian Parsley
Manchego cheese, grated (or similar hard Spanish cheese)
Garlic paprika aioli (recipe follows)

Make the garlic paprika aioli and let chill in the fridge.
Preheat oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit.
Break the angel hair pasta strands into 1-inch pieces. Lay pasta on a baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes or until lightly toasted. Let cool.
Wash and de-beard mussels. Discard any mussels that are open or have cracked shells.
Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add chorizo and garlic and cook until garlic is browned on edges, about 2 minutes. (Note: my store only had raw chorizo so I cooked it a few minutes longer and added the garlic at the end.)
Add chicken broth, 1 can fire-roasted tomatoes, 1 tsp sugar, pasta, ground sea salt, and mussels. Stir to submerge pasta in the liquid. Bring to boil, cover, and steam for 5 minutes or until pasta is cooked and mussels have opened. Reduce heat to low and carefully stir in 1/4 cup heavy cream.
Serve with garlic paprika aioli, sliced scallions, Italian parsley, and a shaving of Manchego cheese.

*Note: You can use 2 cups dry white wine and 2 cups chicken broth if you prefer.

Garlic Paprika Aioli
3/4 cup Greek yogurt (I use Greek Gods)
3 garlic cloves
1/2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 tsp paprika
Juice of 1 small lemon
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Combine yogurt, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, paprika, sea salt, and pepper to a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Note: you could use mayonnaise instead of yogurt for a true aioli but I vastly prefer cooking with Greek yogurt whenever possible. It’s so much healthier and I think it tastes less greasy.

I suppose I could have decanted this into a serving dish so the sides weren’t messy but we’re all friends here and frankly this isn’t something I would switch out to a serving dish anyway. When my friends come over for pasta, I almost always set my Dutch oven right on the table so they can help themselves to more.