The cous cous with zucchini and shrimp is a quick first course to prepare during the warm months, when zucchini are in season.
The advantages of cous cous are many: in addition to being tasty and versatile, one of the main strengths of cous cous is that it is also very quick to prepare. It takes just 15 minutes, and your dish is ready. Perfect for a last-minute lunch or dinner, but also a great one-dish meal to bring to work and enjoy during your lunch break or to take to the beach in your cooler bag, as an alternative to the usual rice salads or other summer salads.
The cous cous with shrimp and zucchini is fresh, light, yet flavorful, thanks to the shrimp. I, to make it even more tasty, have added some cubes of fresh salmon, but you can omit them if you want. There are many variations to season cous cous: you can also add rings of squid or calamari, flavor it with basil, chili, fresh mint, or lemon zest, and you can also enrich the dish with fiber by using whole wheat cous cous.
One thing is certain: once you try cous cous with zucchini and shrimp (and, if you want, also salmon), it will become one of your favorite dishes when you’re in a hurry or don’t feel like cooking. To speed up the preparation of your cous cous, you can use pre-shelled frozen shrimp, with the care to use quality shrimp if you don’t want to end up with tiny shrimps once defrosted.
Now let’s see how to prepare it, but first I’ll leave you with some other ideas on how to season your cous cous.
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Spring, Summer
- Energy 152.96 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 19.68 (g) of which sugars 1.34 (g)
- Proteins 9.61 (g)
- Fat 4.55 (g) of which saturated 0.87 (g)of which unsaturated 1.32 (g)
- Fibers 1.38 (g)
- Sodium 116.00 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 100 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for preparing cous cous with zucchini and shrimp
- 12.7 oz raw couscous
- 1.52 cups water
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (+ as needed for the dressing)
- 14.1 oz zucchini
- 10.6 oz shelled, frozen shrimp
- 7.1 oz salmon
- 2 cloves garlic
- to taste salt
- to taste pepper
- to taste chopped parsley
Tools
- Pan
- Pot
- Cutting board
- Knife
- Lid
Steps to prepare cous cous with zucchini and shrimp
Let’s see together the various steps to prepare cous cous with zucchini, shrimp, and salmon. As mentioned, you can use either fresh or frozen fish, but if you want to speed up the preparation, I recommend using frozen, which you will need to thaw beforehand.
To prepare the cous cous, start with the fish. If using fresh, clean the shrimp by removing the shell and the intestine (the black line seen on the back). Remove the skin from the salmon and any bones and cut it into pieces. If using frozen fish, take it out of the freezer in time to use it defrosted.
Wash, trim, and cut the zucchini into chunks. Set aside.
Continue with cooking the cous cous. In a small pot, put the water (it should always be the same weight as the cous cous), 2-3 pinches of salt, and 4 tablespoons of oil (one tablespoon for each portion). Bring to a boil, then turn off the heat, pour in the cous cous, stir quickly, and cover the pot with a lid. Let it rest for at least 5 minutes.
Now prepare the dressing for your cous cous with zucchini and shrimp.
In a pan, put a little oil, heat it, and sauté a clove of garlic. Remove it from the pan and add the zucchini cut into chunks. Cook for about 10 minutes over moderate heat, stirring occasionally.
Add the salmon chunks to the pan first, and after a few minutes, the shrimp. Salt, pepper, and cook over high heat for 2-3 minutes.
Take back the cous cous, fluff it well with a fork, and pour it into the pan. Mix it with the dressing. At the end, you can decide to flavor the dish with a bit of parsley, basil, grated lemon peel, a touch of chili, or a drizzle of raw oil.
Cous cous with zucchini and shrimp can be enjoyed hot or cold.
Storage and Variations of Cous cous with Shrimp and Zucchini
– You can also prepare cous cous with shrimp and zucchini in advance. You just need to let it cool, put it in a well-sealed container, and store it in the refrigerator. It keeps perfectly for a maximum of 2-3 days.
– Variations: you can omit the salmon or use smoked salmon. In this case, I recommend not cooking it and adding it at the end because it might become too salty with cooking. You can also add other fish of your choice or use only shrimp or prawns.
– You can use the same dressing to season cold pasta, rice salads, or potato salads.
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
Can I use whole wheat cous cous?
Sure, with its rustic flavor it would add an extra touch of flavor to the dish. To determine how much water to use, follow the instructions on the package, although generally the same weight as the cous cous is used.
Can a vegetarian version of this cous cous be made?
Certainly, you can replace the shrimp and fish in this recipe with a vegetable protein source. Legumes like chickpeas or cannellini beans are perfect.
Can cous cous be frozen?
It would be preferable not to, because cous cous tends to absorb moisture and upon thawing, it would become too mushy. Better to prepare it 1-2 days in advance and store it in the refrigerator.
Why did the cous cous become mushy and sticky?
You probably did not respect the amount of water needed to rehydrate the cous cous. If you added too much, the cous cous will swell more than necessary, and the grains will stick together, clumping. It is important to use the right amount of water and add a tablespoon of oil per portion in the water that will rehydrate the cous cous.
