Pearl Couscous Salad With Shrimp and Feta

yield 6 servings time estimate 45 minutes total

Bright lemon, mint and cilantro offset creamy feta and sweet corn in this crisp and crunchy salad. Pearl couscous, also known as Israeli couscous, is made of small pearls of chewy pasta that are a great base for so many flavors. Make sure to thoroughly drain the couscous after cooking to avoid a soggy salad. Sautéed shrimp make this into a meal, but feel free to add chopped chicken or your protein of choice.

ingredient amount procedure
Large shrimp 1 pound
Kosher salt
Black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon
Lemon ½
Season and saute shrimp Transfer shrimp to plate and zest lemon
Pearl couscous 1 cup
Cook couscous
Extra-virgin olive oil 3 tablespoons
Garlic 1 teaspoon minced
Kosher salt ½ teaspoon
Black pepper ¼ teaspoon
Make the dressing
Persian cucumbers 2 cups diced
Corn kernels 1 cup
Radishes ½ cup thinly sliced
Feta cheese ½ cup crumbled
Cilantro ¼ cup thinly sliced
Mint leaves ¼ cup thinly sliced
Combine ingredients
Add shrimp and serve
  1. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper. In a medium skillet over medium-high, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Sauté the shrimp until opaque and just cooked through, about 4 minutes.
  2. Transfer the shrimp to a plate and zest half the lemon over top (about 1/2 teaspoon or to taste), then juice the lemon into a large bowl, sprinkle about one-fourth of the juice over the shrimp and set the bowl with the remaining juice aside.
  3. Cook the couscous in a pot of heavily salted water until al dente, according to the package directions. Rinse with cool water and drain well.
  4. In the bowl with the lemon juice, whisk together the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil, the garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
  5. Add the cooked couscous to the bowl with the dressing and toss to combine. Add the cucumbers, corn, radishes, feta, cilantro and mint. Toss to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings by adding more salt, pepper and/or lemon juice as needed.
  6. Top with shrimp and a sprinkling of cilantro and mint. Enjoy immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 8 hours.
This is a test of AI-based recipe conversion workflow with a random recipe.