I'm really good about making out a menu almost every week. What I'm not always so good about is following it. Life tends to interfere. Either I get stuck at the office or it's too hot or something else happens. I'm sure you all are the same way. Flexibility is the key. That and a bag of shrimp in the freezer and a box of couscous in the pantry means I'm pretty much always prepared for a quick meal.
We typically buy the 20-25 count shrimp - peeled and deveined at Sam's. This time we cheaped out and bought the bag that's out in the meat area. Never again. They weren't peeled. They were not great shrimp. The rest of the bag will have to go into gumbo or jambalaya or something where pieces and parts don't matter. You live and learn. But, that's what we had so that's what we ate.
What did we think? Amazing flavor. This marinade would be great with just about any seafood or fish. It might overwhelm scallops but I can taste it on swordfish or tuna or cod or crab. This was our third recipe from 3 Step Cooking with Flavor from McCormick. Given that all three have been home runs, I'm going to keep this cookbook handy! The couscous was my creation and if I may pat myself on the back here, was pretty darned good.
Lemony Shrimp Skewers with Couscous
Ingredients:
for the marinade:
1/2 c olive oil
2 T lemon juice
1 T Old Bay seasoning
1 t onion powder
for the skewers:
jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined, 4-5 per person
red bell peppers, cut in 1" squares, 1/2 pepper per person
small zucchini, sliced into rounds, 1/4" thick, 1/2 zucchini per person
lemon, cut into 1/4" slices, 1 slice per skewer
for the couscous:
serves 2 generously
1 c water, boiling
1 c couscous
1/4 c crumbled feta cheese
6 peppadew peppers, finely chopped
1 T lemon olive oil or extra virgin olive oil
1 T lemon balsamic or lemon juice
Directions:
Mix the marinade. The recipe called for the quantity of marinade shown above for two pounds of shrimp. I used that amount to marinate 1/2 pound of shrimp and to mop the skewers while they were grilling. Marinate the shrimp in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Put together your skewers. Grill for a couple of minutes per side, mopping with the marinade. Remember that if you've used uncooked shrimp, you want that side of the skewer to be grilled after mopping. If you've used cooked shrimp like I did, mop any old way you want!
For the couscous: Bring a cup of water to boiling. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the couscous. Cover the pan and leave it to the side for five minutes. Remove the cover and add the feta, peppadews and oil and vinegar. Serve topped with shrimp skewers.
1 comment:
Lemon juice and shrimp...how could you go wrong! Perfect light summer dish! Thanks!
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