Crab, Chorizo and Chilli Orzo with Samphire – 11sp

Happy 2019 to you all! Whether you are new to Weight Watchers or are simply continuing your wellness journey from last year, January is often the time when many of us jump back onto the health wagon and begin once again ton think consciously about the food we eat. One of my main mottos regarding the food I eat is that I should never feel like I’m on a ‘diet’ but rather my everyday diet is filled with colourful and healthy, delicious and filling food.

This recipe is the perfect January recipe to get you kick started for the new year. It has the lovely comforting warmness that any winter dish needs, but the crab, chorizo and chilli combo bring a lovely fresh and vibrant flavour to the dish. Using orzo instead of risotto brings the cooking time right down so it can be made much more quickly if you are in a rush. If you can’t get a hold of fresh crab meat, tinned crab meat will work just as well. Most supermarkets have samphire these days and for such an easy ingredient to cook, it brings a lovely fresh crunch to the dish. If you can’t get a hold of any samphire I would add a handle of frozen garden peas to the dish ten minutes before it’s finished so that it keeps a nice green burst.

Crab, Chorizo and Chilli Orzo with Samphire

Serves 2 = 11sp each

Ingredients

1 x white onion, peeled and finely diced

2 x garlic cloves, peeled and finely minced

1 x red chilli, finely chopped (and deseeded if you don’t like it too hot)

40g chorizo, peeled and sliced into half moons

1 tbsp tomato puree

125ml white wine

120g orzo, dried

½ litre vegetable stock (made with 1 vegetable stock cube)

125g cooked white crab meat

Large handful of parsley, finely chopped

Juice of 1 lemon

Small pack of samphire

1 tsp lurpack lightest

Method

  1. Take a large saucepan and pop onto a medium heat. Spray with 1kal and add the onions. Fry for 4-5 minutes until the onions start to soften (add a little water if the pan gets dry).

 

  1. Add the garlic, chilli and chorizo and fry for another minute until the oil from the chorizo starts to release. Then add the tomato puree, fry for another minute and then add the wine.

 

  1. Simmer the wine for a few minutes until the wine reduces and then add the orzo, stirring in.

 

  1. Add half the stock so that it covers the orzo turning down to simmer.

 

  1. Keep adding the stock until the orzo is cooked (it usually takes 12-15 minutes). Once the orzo is cooked and the stock is absorbed, add the crab meat and season to taste. Toss the crab meat through the orzo until it is warm.

 

  1. Add the parsley and juice of 1 lemon and then take off the heat. Leave to rest for a minute while you cook the samphire.

 

  1. Boil the samphire in another pan for 2-3 minutes. Drain and pop back into the same pan with the butter. Let the butter melt with the heat of the pan and toss through the samphire.

 

  1. Serve the orzo in a bowl topped with the samphire.

 

  1. Enjoy!

 

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

14 thoughts on “Crab, Chorizo and Chilli Orzo with Samphire – 11sp

  1. Liz says:

    Hi Laura

    I am just making this recipe for dinner tonight and when I add it as a recipe on my WW app it comes out at 7sp each. We have substituted the crab for chicken although when looking they are both free foods anyway so shouldn’t make a difference. Would you know why this is?

    Thank you! Liz

    • lakettle says:

      Hi Liz, it’s definitely 11sp, the Orzo is 6sp per portion on its own and then the wine, stock cube, chorizo and lurpack have points too ?

  2. AliSavy says:

    Just had this- delicious! Thank you so much for sharing, tinned crab was fine- also added prawns as doubled up but forgot to double the crab!
    Fab recipe -loved it.

  3. Donna says:

    Hi Laura,
    Made this on Friday night for supper. It was amazing !
    Good alternative to traditional risotto. This will go on my list of your favourite recipes which will be cooked over and over again. Not a week goes by when I don’t cook at least two of your recipes .Keep doing what you’re doing Laura it’s keeping me on track.

  4. Miriam says:

    Hi Laura . I’ve just discovered this amazing site and can’t wait to try some recipes – I’ve got into a bit of a rut recently! Are the points values shown compatible with the latest weight watchers points incarnation, flex, or should I be recalculating them? Thanks!

    • lakettle says:

      Hi Miriam, most have now been updated to Flex. Where they have it will say (Flex)next to the smart points and servings. Hope you enjoy anything you try!

Leave a Reply to AliSavy Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.