Shrimp Couscous

Make this quick, one dish dinner with juicy shrimp, fluffy couscous and sweet tomatoes. It comes together in no time and looks incredible too.

Shrimp Couscous is one of my favorite meals to make when I want something quick, but flavorful and brimming with lots of fresh ingredients. Both the shrimp and the couscous scream SPEED to me. Each take about 5 minutes to prepare, and it’s hard to find any other kind of full meal that can beat that record.

Put these juicy, plump shrimp with fluffy couscous on your menu. I think the addition of tomatoes, aromatics, fresh herbs and lemon juice really elevate this dish to an elegant and sophisticated meal, even though it’s technically easier to prepare than to take the time to get take out. Sometimes delicious, homemade dinners that look 100% gourmet aren’t difficult to make and I love that. Plus, couscous and shrimp are something I always try to stock in my pantry and freezer.

Ingredients:

  • raw shrimp
    • My favorite kind of shrimp to buy is raw frozen shrimp (unless you can get fresh shrimp caught locally).
  • olive oil
    • You can also use other oil, like avocado oil, or any other oil that you prefer
  • onion
  • jalapeño
    • Instead of the jalapeno, you can use a poblano pepper or even a sweet bell pepper variety.
  • garlic
  • lemon
  • grape tomatoes
  • couscous
    • for this particular recipe, I am using small plain couscous. Sometimes it’s also called Moroccan. Israeli couscous, or pearled couscous is much larger in size and will take longer to cook, so do not use it for this recipe, or you will need to adjust the recipe and the cooking time.
  • broth
    • I use chicken broth most of the time because that is what I always have on hand, but you can also use a vegetable broth.
  • fresh herbs, parsley and green onion
  • salt, pepper
  • dry herbs and spices, to season the shrimp
    • I use Trader Joe’s Onion Salt and Simply Organic All Purpose seasoning
Ingredients for Shrimp Couscous

How To Make Shrimp Couscous

  1. First, prep all the ingredients.
    • Peel the shrimp, season with salt, pepper and dry herbs & spices to taste.
    • Finely chop the onion and jalapeno. Mince the garlic.
    • Cut the tomatoes in half.
  2. Bring the chicken broth to a boil in a small saucepan and set aside.
  3. Cook the shrimp.
    • Heat about a Tablespoon of oil in a deep skillet. Sear the shrimp in batches, until it’s golden and pink on both sides.
    • Shrimp cooks really quickly, so try not to overcook it, or it will be dry and tough.
    • Set the shrimp aside in a covered bowl.
  4. Next, saute the aromatics.
    • In the same skillet, add more oil, if needed, then add the onion and jalapeño. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes, on medium heat,  until the onions are softened.
    • Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds. Add the lemon juice.
  5. Increase the heat to high, add the tomatoes, season with salt and pepper.
  6. Then, add the couscous to the skillet and pour in the hot broth. Bring it to a boil, (it should come to a boil within a minute or so). Make sure the broth is completely covering the couscous.
  7. Lastly, turn off the heat and let it stand, covered for 5 minutes. During this time, the couscous will absorb all the broth.
  8. Fluff up the couscous with a fork.
  9. Add the shrimp to the couscous and garnish everything with fresh herbs.
How to make Shrimp Couscous step by step tutorial

Use a Deep Skillet/Pan

I love having a deep pan that I can use for many types of one dish meals like this one. You want it to be very durable and heavy duty, so that it retains heat well and also cooks evenly and won’t scorch.

I have this one and have been using it for close to a decade. 3 quart Deep Saute Pan (affliate link)

Want to see more of my favorite cookware and all my best pots and pans? I have an article and detailed video.

Helpful Tips

What shrimp to use?

Use raw shrimp, either fresh or frozen. I do not recommend using cooked shrimp for this recipe, since it will be overcooked and not as flavorful.
You can use a variety of different sizes. I don’t recommend using the smallest sizes, such as small, tiny or salad shrimp. Use medium – jumbo sizes. The large the shrimp, the longer you will have to cook them.

What is couscous?

Even though it looks like it, couscous is NOT a grain, it is a type of pasta. It cooks really quickly. As soon as you add a hot liquid (I always boil it first), then bring it to a boil, which happens in less than a minute, you need to turn off the heat, cover the pan and the couscous will continue cooking and soaking up all the broth.

How to get fluffy couscous:

Don’t overcook it and when it’s cooked, fluff it up with a fork.

Other Flavor Variations:

Instead of onion, you can use shallots or leeks. You can also add other veggies, such as carrots, zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, bell peppers, mushrooms, spinach, etc.
Saute all the veggies first and cook them almost all the way through before adding the couscous. After adding the couscous, the veggiest will only be cooking for 5 minutes.

What to Serve

This recipe already has everything – the shrimp and the couscous, plus the tomatoes, so we often just enjoy it alone. However, if you want to add something else to round out the meal, here are a few great options.

Shrimp Couscous with tomatoes, onion, jalapeno and fresh herbs
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Shrimp Couscous

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Make this quick, one dish dinner with juicy shrimp, fluffy couscous and sweet tomatoes. It comes together in no time and looks incredible too.

  • Author: Olga’s Flavor Factory
  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Cook Time: 15 min
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 4 1x
  • Category: Entree

Ingredients

Scale
  • 3 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 1/2 lbs shrimp (any size), deveined and shelled, tail on or off
  • salt, pepper, to taste
  • 1–2 teaspoons dry herbs and spices, such as an all purpose seasoning containing granulated onion and garlic, dry chives, parsley, basil, oregano, coriander, etc. 
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 small jalapeño, minced
  • 2–4 garlic cloves
  • Juice of 1/2 a lemon
  • 1 pint grape tomatoes, sliced in half
  • 1 1/2 cups couscous (plain, aka Moroccan)
  • 2 1/4 cups chicken or vegetable broth, hot
  • 1 Tablespoons fresh parsley and green onions, minced and thinly sliced

Instructions

  1. Prep all the ingredients: Peel and devein the shrimp, finely chop the onion and jalapeno, mince the garlic. Slice the tomatoes in half. 
  2. Bring the broth to a boil in a small saucepan and set aside and keep warm. 
  3. Season the shrimp on both sides with salt, pepper and dry herbs and spices. 
  4. Heat 1 Tablespoon of oil in a deep skillet. Cook the shrimp in batches, just until golden and pink on both sides, the time will depend on the size of your shrimp. Set the cooked shrimp aside in a covered bowl. 
  5. In the same skillet, add more oil, as needed, then the onion and jalapeño. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes, on medium heat, until the onions are softened. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds to a minute, until fragrant. 
  6. Add the lemon juice. 
  7. Increase the heat to high, add the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. 
  8. Add the couscous to the skillet and pour in the broth. Bring it to a boil, turn off the heat and let it stand, covered for 5 minutes.
  9. Fluff the couscous up with a fork. Place the shrimp on top of the couscous and garnish everything with fresh herbs. 

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