Spanish meatballs with clams, chorizo & squid

Name: Spanish meatballs with clams, chorizo & squid
Prep time: 12 min
Cook time: 21 min
Total time: 33 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Spanish
Ingredients: 25g Butter; 3 diced Shallots; 1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika; 2 cloves minced Garlic; 1 clove finely chopped Garlic; 2 tblsp Dry sherry; 50g Breadcrumbs; 300g Pork; 1 Egg Yolks; 50 ml Olive Oil; 300g Chorizo; 300g Squid; 100 ml White Wine; 300g Tomato; 400g Clams; Handful Parsley; Drizzle Extra Virgin Olive Oil

By The Spice & Simmer Kitchen · Published May 3, 2026

A one-pot Miscellaneous recipe with Spanish flavors, built for busy weeknights when you want real food without a sink full of dishes. Comes together in roughly 51 minutes, serves about 4, and uses ingredients you can find at any normal grocery store. The technique is simple: build a base in your pot, layer in the main ingredients, simmer until everything has had time to talk to each other, and serve straight from the pan. If you're cooking for picky eaters, this one tends to land — the flavors are recognizable, the texture is comforting, and there's nothing weird hiding in the ingredient list. Perfect for the kind of evening where you want dinner on the table by 7pm and the kitchen empty by 7:30.

Ingredients

Makes 4 servings · 33 min total

25g Butter
3 diced Shallots
1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
2 cloves minced Garlic
1 clove finely chopped Garlic
2 tblsp Dry Sherry
50g Breadcrumbs
300g Pork
1 Egg Yolks
50 ml Olive Oil
300g Chorizo
300g Squid
100 ml White Wine
300g Tomato
400g Clams
Handful Parsley
Drizzle Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Step-by-step instructions

step 1.
Melt the butter in a heavy-based casserole, then soften the shallots for 5 mins. Add the paprika and crushed garlic and cook for 1 min until the paprika becomes fragrant. Splash in the sherry, then pour the whole lot into a bowl with the breadcrumbs. Season and cool.
step 2.
Add the pork mince and the egg yolk to the bowl, then beat well. Shape into 18 small meatballs. Wipe the pan, put on a medium-high heat, then add the oil. Fry the meatballs for 5 mins, just to colour, then lift onto a plate, but keep the oil in the pan. Sizzle the chorizo with the sliced garlic. Add the squid and fry to give a little colour. Now tip in the white wine and bring to the boil, scraping the bottom. Stir in the pulped tomatoes, bring to the boil, then add the meatballs and the clams. Cover and cook for 5 mins until the clam shells open. Discard any that stay shut. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley, drizzle with the extra virgin oil, then serve with crusty bread.

Why this works on a weeknight

Spanish meatballs with clams, chorizo & squid lands at about 33 minutes total — a little longer than our 30-minute target, but most of that time is hands-off simmering, which is why it earned a spot in our Skillet & One-Pan collection. The technique is forgiving, the ingredient list is grocery-store standard, and the active cooking time is short enough that you can answer a text message in the middle without ruining dinner.

Cleanup notes

This is a single-pan recipe, so the cleanup is exactly one pan, one cutting board, and one knife. While the dish rests, fill the pan with hot soapy water — by the time you are done eating, the residue lifts off with a single pass of a sponge. Skip the steel wool on cast iron; a stiff brush and warm water are all you need to keep the seasoning intact.

Make-ahead and leftovers

Leftovers keep covered in the fridge for up to three days. Reheat in a dry pan over medium-low with a splash of water or stock to loosen the sauce. Spanish meatballs with clams, chorizo & squid actually improves overnight as the flavors keep talking to each other, so doubling the recipe and packing tomorrow's lunch is a high-leverage weeknight move.

Filed under 🥘 Skillet & One-Pan Miscellaneous Spanish