Shrimp and Couscous Salad.
Grilled shrimp served overtop pearled couscous tossed with baby arugula, white beans, parsley, red onion, extra virgin olive oil and apple cider vinegar. This summery, fresh and tangy salad is perfect for enjoying outdoors with family and friends as the weather starts to warm up.
This is basically a pasta salad, just so much better … and there’s no mayo (phewww, I am not a fan of mayo-laden pasta salads). It’s fresh, it’s summery, it’s tangy and it’s satisfying. Plus, who doesn’t love grilled shrimp? Shrimp is the most consumed seafood in the US (by far), and I would betcha a large part of our shrimp consumption as a country happens in the summertime. The smell of shrimp on the grill is one of those smells that officially seems to kick off the summer season.
What makes this shrimp and couscous salad a pasta salad? The pearled couscous (also called Israeli couscous), is actually little balls of pasta, made with semolina flour and water. Pearled couscous has a chewy, soft and smooth texture, while regular couscous (Moroccan couscous) is irregularly shaped, smaller-sized, more yellow in color and is more dry than the pearled variety.
What’s in this shrimp and couscous salad?
- Grilled shrimp
- Pearled couscous
- Baby arugula
- White beans – use cannelini or great northern beans
- Red onion
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Apple cider vinegar
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Lemon wedges (for serving)
This summer salad is easy to prepare and can be served for lunch or a light dinner, alongside some fresh bakery rolls.
What should I look for when buying shrimp?
- To make sure you’re buying sustainably grown and harvested shrimp, check out seafoodwatch.org. You can also look for the MSC and BAP certifications.
- Frozen shrimp are a great staple to keep in your freezer. We typically purchase raw, frozen shrimp with their shells on. You’ll have to thaw them, shell them and, in some cases devein (which means remove the digestive tract – the black vein looking thing) yourself. I find the shell-on shrimp have the most flavor. If you’re in a hurry, you can purchase already shelled shrimp — and even frozen already cooked shrimp (not our favorite, because they can be rubbery).
- Naked Shrimp from North Coast Seafoods is a brand we purchase often.
- As far as shrimp size go, choose whatever size the recipe calls for, but you can easily sub sizes of shrimp in recipes, just adjust the cooking time accordingly.
Looking for more shrimp recipes?
Here’s how to make this simple shrimp salad recipe:
Shrimp and Couscous Salad
Ingredients
For the couscous salad
- 2 cups cooked pearled couscous
- 2 cups baby arugula loosely packed
- 1 15 ounce can white beans
- 1/2 red onion, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup flat leaf parsley leaves, roughly chopped tightly packed
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For the grilled shrimp
- 1/2 lb raw shrimp, deveined and shelled (16-20 count or 21-25 count) patted very dry
- 1/2 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
For serving
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges
Instructions
- Preheat grill to high heat. Clean and oil grates.
- In a large bowl, combine pearled couscous, arugula, beans, onion, parsley, olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Toss to combine. Add more salt, if needed. Set aside.
- Brush shrimp with extra virgin olive oil on both sides and season with salt and pepper. Add shrimp to the grill. Reduce heat to medium. Grill shrimp until they are just opaque, a few minutes on each side. Remove shrimp from heat.
- Top couscous salad with grilled shrimp. Serve with lemon wedges.
Nutrition
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