A bright, zesty salad of charred shrimp and tender pearl couscous tossed with cucumber, cherry tomatoes, olives and feta; served warm or chilled for a fresh, seafood-forward dinner.
Charred Lemon Shrimp with Pearl Couscous
A bright, seafood-forward salad where smoky, citrusy shrimp meet tender pearl couscous, salty olives and creamy feta—equally good warm or chilled.
This is the kind of weeknight recipe that feels like a small celebration without a lot of fuss. A quick lemon‑garlic marinade perks up the shrimp while the pearl couscous simmers in vegetable broth, so you end up with real, layered flavor in under 30 minutes. The smoky kiss from a hot grill or grill pan contrasts beautifully with the bright zip of lemon and the warm, toasty bite of the couscous.
Pearl couscous is the unsung hero here: it soaks up the broth and dressing but keeps a pleasing bite, making it the perfect base for cucumber, cherry tomatoes, and red onion. Toss in chopped parsley for herbaceousness, scatter kalamata olives for a briny hit, and crumble feta for creamy, salty balance—the textures and flavors play off each other in every forkful.
A couple of small timing tricks make the difference. Marinate the shrimp for just 10–15 minutes so the lemon and smoked paprika come through without cooking the shrimp in the acid. Grill 2–3 minutes per side until opaque and lightly charred—thread them on skewers if you like, or grill loose. Cook the couscous in hot vegetable broth for 8–10 minutes, then fluff and let it cool slightly before tossing so the salad doesn’t go mushy.
Serve it warm straight from the grill for a cozy dinner, or chill it for lunches and potlucks—the flavors deepen overnight if you make the components ahead. It scales easily, tolerates swaps (add more herbs or peppery greens), and a final squeeze of lemon and drizzle of olive oil wake everything up right before serving.
Ingredients
How to Make Grilled Shrimp Couscous Salad
- Make the shrimp marinade by whisking 2 tbsp olive oil, juice and zest of 1 lemon, minced garlic, smoked paprika, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper in a bowl.
- Toss the shrimp in the marinade, cover, and refrigerate for 10–15 minutes while you cook the couscous.
- Bring the vegetable broth to a boil in a small saucepan, add the pearl couscous, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until tender and liquid is absorbed, 8–10 minutes; remove from heat and fluff with a fork, then allow to cool slightly.
- Heat a grill or grill pan to medium-high and brush or spray with a little oil; thread shrimp onto skewers or leave loose and grill 2–3 minutes per side until opaque and lightly charred.
- Meanwhile, halve the cherry tomatoes, peel and dice the cucumber, and finely chop the parsley and red onion; crumble the feta and halve the olives if desired.
- In a large bowl combine the warm couscous, tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, parsley, olives and crumbled feta; add the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil, juice of the second lemon, and season with the remaining 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper, tossing to combine.
- Fold the grilled shrimp into the couscous salad or arrange on top, adjust seasoning to taste, and let sit 5 minutes for flavors to meld; serve warm or chilled with extra lemon wedges.
Recipe Card
Grilled Shrimp Couscous Salad
A bright, zesty salad of charred shrimp and tender pearl couscous tossed with cucumber, cherry tomatoes, olives and feta; served warm or chilled for a fresh, seafood-forward dinner.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Servings
- 4
Ingredients
Instructions
- Make the shrimp marinade by whisking 2 tbsp olive oil, juice and zest of 1 lemon, minced garlic, smoked paprika, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper in a bowl.
- Toss the shrimp in the marinade, cover, and refrigerate for 10–15 minutes while you cook the couscous.
- Bring the vegetable broth to a boil in a small saucepan, add the pearl couscous, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until tender and liquid is absorbed, 8–10 minutes; remove from heat and fluff with a fork, then allow to cool slightly.
- Heat a grill or grill pan to medium-high and brush or spray with a little oil; thread shrimp onto skewers or leave loose and grill 2–3 minutes per side until opaque and lightly charred.
- Meanwhile, halve the cherry tomatoes, peel and dice the cucumber, and finely chop the parsley and red onion; crumble the feta and halve the olives if desired.
- In a large bowl combine the warm couscous, tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, parsley, olives and crumbled feta; add the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil, juice of the second lemon, and season with the remaining 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper, tossing to combine.
- Fold the grilled shrimp into the couscous salad or arrange on top, adjust seasoning to taste, and let sit 5 minutes for flavors to meld; serve warm or chilled with extra lemon wedges.
Nutrition
- Carbohydrates
- 38
- Saturated Fat
- 4
- Sodium
- 1000
- Fiber
- 3
- Unsaturated Fat
- 13
- Protein
- 35
- Fat
- 17
- Cholesterol
- 225
- Trans Fat
- 0
- Calories
- 460
- Sugar
- 4