Spain on a Fork > All Recipes > Main Dishes > One-Pot Saffron Penne Pasta with Shrimp & Cockles
All Recipes, Main Dishes / May 1, 2019

One-Pot Saffron Penne Pasta with Shrimp & Cockles

This One-Pot Saffron Penne Pasta with Shrimp & Cockles is an absolute stunner. Loaded with Mediterranean flavors, easy to make and done in about 30 minutes. This is a real ¨one-pot¨ pasta dish, where you actually cook the pasta noodles in the sauce. By cooking the pasta in this method, it gives the entire dish a rich and bold flavor.

One-Pot Saffron Penne Pasta with Shrimp & Cockles
The secret to this recipe is to use some good quality saffron. I used saffron threads from Golden saffron. This saffron is Grade 1 premium saffron and in my opnion one of the best saffrons in the market.

One-Pot Saffron Penne Pasta with Shrimp & Cockles
For this recipe I used cockles, which are called ¨berberechos¨ here in Spain. They are very similar to clams, they just have a different texture and a sweeter flavor. If you can´t find cockles in your area, you can just use any type of clams that your supermarket has.

One-Pot Saffron Penne Pasta with Shrimp & Cockles
But I do recommend you search for them, they´re available worldwide and they have an incredible flavor. Watch the video below on How to Make this One-Pot Pasta dish or check out the recipe card below which you can print. Salud!

Cookware that I use:
Swiss Diamond Chef´s Knife
Swiss Diamond Pans
Wood Cutting Board

Watch the Video Below on How to Make this One-Pot Saffron Penne Pasta with Shrimp & Cockles

One-Pot Saffron Penne Pasta with Shrimp & Cockles

Course Main Course
Cuisine Spanish
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 2
Author Albert Bevia @ Spain on a Fork

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 12 raw shrimp peeled and deveined
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1/2 onion
  • 15 oz can diced tomatoes
  • 1/4 cup white wine
  • 2 cups water
  • 1/2 tsp saffron threads
  • 8 oz penne pasta
  • 1 lbs fresh cockles or clams
  • pinch sea salt
  • pinch black pepper
  • handful fresh chives

Instructions

  1. Finely mince 3 cloves of garlic, finely dice 1/2 onion, pat down 12 jumbo shrimp that have been peeled and deveined (I bought mine frozen and thawed them out) with paper towels, then season them with sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper, rinse 1 pound of fresh cockles or clams under cold running water, scrub them clean if they´re not already cleaned

  2. Heat a saute pan with a medium-high heat and add 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil, 2 minutes later add the shrimps seasoned side down and cook for 1 minute per side, then transfer the shrimps to a bowl and cover with foil paper to keep them warm

  3. Using the same pan with the same heat add the diced onions and minced garlic and mix around with the oil, 2 minutes later add a 15 oz can of diced tomatoes, season with sea salt, freshly cracked black pepper and a pinch of white sugar, mix it all together until well combined, then add a 1/4 cup of white wine and cook for 2 more minutes, then add 2 cups of water, pinch in 1/2 tsp of saffron threads and a pinch of sea salt, give it a quick mix and bring to a boil

  4. Once the water comes to a boil add 2 1/2 cups of penne pasta into the pan and give it a gently mix, you can stir this occasionally, after 8 minutes add the shrimps back into the pan, the cockles (or clams), place a lid on the pan and lower the fire to a low-medium heat, after 4 to 5 minutes everything should be perfectly cooked, remove the lid and serve directly from the pan, garnish with freshly chopped chives, enjoy!

Recipe Notes

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2 Comments

  1. ricky

    Made this tonight!!! been living in Almería that past month, wanted to give cockles a try! Damn this was so good!!!! i forgot the sugar but added a a couple hot pepperonis. flavour PACKED!! Muchas gracias !!!!!!1

    29 . Nov . 2019
    • Spain on a Fork

      Glad you enojoyed the dish Ricky 🙂 much love

      30 . Nov . 2019

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