Grilled Vegetable and Shrimp Couscous Primavera
Pasta Primavera with a twist. Grilled shrimp and vegetables with Israeli couscous in place of traditional pasta.
Ingredients
For the couscous:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 ⅔ c Israeli couscous
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 3 ½ cups hot broth chicken or vegetable,
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- For the Shrimp:
- 2 lbs wild shrimp 16-20 per pound peeled, and deveined, tails removed
- olive oil I use Luigi Tega
- seasonings:
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon parsley
- 1 teaspoon garlic
- 1 medium lemon cut in half
For the veggies:
- 2-3 medium zucchini sliced in quarters lengthwise
- 2-3 medium yellow squash sliced in quarters lengthwise
- 1 bunch asparagus about a pound, ends snapped off
- 8 mini bell peppers stems and seeds removed, cut in half lengthwise
- 1 cup basil chopped
- Garnish:
- ½ cup shredded fresh parmesan cheese
- lemon juice optional
Instructions
- This dish comes together pretty quickly. Prep and the vegetables and shrimp while the couscous is cooking. Grill while the couscous is steaming off the heat so you can put everything together once the grilled foods are done. The entire dish can take around 30 min from start to finish.
- Preheat the grill to high heat, 450-500 Deg F. Prepare the couscous first.
- Sauté the oil in a medium saucepan then add the couscous and stir until some are starting to turn golden, about a minute. Season with salt, pepper, garlic and onion and stir. Add in the broth, bring to a boil then lower to a simmer. Place a lid on the pan and cook for 12 minutes. Remove from heat and let steam with the lid slightly ajar until ready to assemble the dish.
- While the couscous is cooking prepare the shrimp and veggies. Wast and cut the zucchini and squash in lengthwise quarters, snap the tough ends off the asparagus, cut the stems and remove seeds from peppers, cut in half. See notes for preparing shrimp quickly.
- Drizzle the shrimp with oil then season with salt, pepper, oregano, parsley and garlic and juice from half a lemon. Drizzle oil on the prepared vegetables and season with salt and pepper.
- Grill the veggies on high heat for just a few minutes a side. You want some char marks but still have some bite to them. Use a vegetable grilling tray if you have one. Grill the vegetables first then the shrimp. When grilling the shrimp, grill on one side for 2-3 minutes, flip and squeeze the lemon juice from the other half of the lemon over them then finish grilling for another 2-3 minutes.
- Once everything is grilled, cut the vegetables into 1-2” pieces. Fluff the couscous with a spoon and add in the butter, let it melt then stir then transfer to a big bowl. Add in the grilled vegetables and shrimp and toss well to mix. Add in the chopped basil and top with shredded parm
- Serve with more parmesan cheese and more lemon. You can also drizzle a little more olive oil over the top if you like before serving. I love using the lemon olive oil from Luigi Tega for this.
Notes
This recipe is great with shrimp but would also be excellent with scallops, chicken ( breasts or thighs) or as a vegetarian salad/side dish.
If using frozen shrimp thaw in cold water earlier in the day. I quickly peel and devien all at once to make it go by a lot quicker. Slip a paring knife under the peel at the top of the tail into the tail and slice down the back of the tail. This removed the peel and vein all at once. Quickly pop off the tail, rinse the shrimp and place on a paper towel lined plate to quickly dry before seasoning.
You can serve this dish hot or cold.
I use Luigi Tega olive oil which is the best olive oil I have ever tasted.