Moroccan Shrimp Couscous – Healthy & Flavorful!

Have the Winter food blahs set in? Try Moroccan Shrimp Couscous, a healthy dinner option bursting with flavor!

Moroccan Shrimp Couscous

The crossroads for something new and interesting, fairly healthy and not too hard to prepare, led to Moroccan Shrimp Couscous. It started before we embarked on our Winter travels. In order to make meal preparation a bit easier, I snapped pictures of a pile of recipes before leaving home.  After arriving, I then analyzed how to adapt some of the recipes to make them even easier to prepare. That included broiling the shrimp for this recipe vs. grilling (recognizing that would be more convenient for my friends in the Midwest. But feel free to shovel a path to the grill if you prefer!)

I also went with a couscous mix which included a flavor packet (reducing the number of spices you need to purchase.)  I used Near East Couscous mix with Toasted Pine Nut. Near is fairly easy product to find in larger grocery stores and they sell a number of varieties. Keep in mind, if they don’t have the toasted pine nut mix, other flavors can be substituted. You can also easily adapt this to a gluten-free meal by selecting a different grain like quinoa, amaranth or brown rice.

Wine Worthy Meal

After coming back from an invigorating morning walk, I decided to whip up this dish for lunch. While we don’t typically break out a glass of wine at mid-day, we knew an exception was in order as soon as I set the finished platter on the table. The marinated shrimp, olives and toasted almonds all screamed for a wine pairing. We happened to have an open bottle of Butter chardonnay on hand (one of my favorites ), and it was a marriage made in heaven! If you’re a fan of chardonnay, you can score this tasty option at Total Wine using the link above.

Moroccan Shrimp Couscous

Moroccan Shrimp Couscous is a healthy and flavorful dish with lemony Charmoula sauce marinated shrimp served over a veggie & almond-laced couscous pilaf.

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Moroccan

Keyword: almonds, charmoula sauce, couscous, olives, shrimp

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Marinate time: 1 hour hour

Servings: 4

Author: Adapted from 2008 real food Couscous Salad With Grilled Shrimp recipe.

Ingredients

• 1 lb medium to large shrimp peeled and deveined
• 1/2 c. charmoula sauce recipe included
• 1 box couscous mix I used a 5.6 oz. box Near East Couscous Mix with Toasted Pine Nuts
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• 1/4 c. minced red onion rinse with hot water in fine mesh sieve for 10-20 seconds if strong
• 2 stalks chopped celery
• 1/4 c. toasted slivered almonds
• 1/4 c. sliced olives I used Kalamata and stuffed pimento green olives

Charmoula Sauce

• 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp. minced garlic or more, based on your preference
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp. cumin
• 1/8 tsp. cayenne
• 1 tbsp. chopped parsley
• 1 tbsp. chopped cilantro if your not a fan of cilantro, use 2 tbsp. parsley
• 1/3 c. + 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• kosher salt & ground black pepper to taste

Equipment

• wood skewers soaked in water for 60 minutes around 8 skewers

Instructions

• Toss shrimp with 2 tbsp. of charmoula sauce and marinate for 60 minutes in the refrigerator.
• Preheat broiler to high.
• Prepare couscous as directed on package, adding 1 tbsp. butter, 1/4 tsp. cumin and seasoning packet included with couscous mix. Fluff couscous after it stands covered for 5 minutes.
• In medium to large bowl toss onion, celery, almonds, couscous and all but 2 tbsp. of charmoula sauce.
• Remove shrimp from marinade and thread onto skewers. Place skewers on baking sheet and broil about 5-6 inches from heat for 2-3 minutes per side, or until done. Remove shrimp from skewers.
• Place couscous mixture on platter. Top with shrimp and garnish with olives. Drizzle with remaining 2 tbsp. of charmoula sauce and serve. Enjoy!

Charmoula Sauce

• Mix lemon juice, garlic, paprika, cumin and cayenne until smooth.
• Whisk in parsley, cilantro and olive oil. Season to taste with salt & pepper.