January 02, 2019

In this sizzling take on the classic Italian dish, tomatoes, garlic, wine, and clam juice are used to create a rich and flavorful broth that becomes the base for the couscous — and the sauce for the tender, garlic shrimp. It’s finished with a pinch of red pepper flakes, lemon, and parsley, and we love how all the clean, simple flavors come together. It’s a light and satisfying dish.

It’s also a little bit fancy! We definitely make this one for guests. Serve it with a green salad, and maybe a loaf of Italian bread for sopping up that luxe broth. Our tip: The key here is to cook the shrimp until they are tender and pink — don’t let them curl all the way up like cats, or they will be much too chewy.

Servings: 4

Ingredients

½ cup plus 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 small onion, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 8-oz cans chopped tomatoes in their juice
1 8-oz bottle clam juice
¼ cup dry white wine
1 tsp salt, plus more to taste
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
About 1 ¼ cups water
2 cups plain couscous
2 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
Juice of 1 lemon
1 Tbsp flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 tsp red pepper flakes

Directions

1. In a large pot, heat ¼ cup of the oil over a medium-high heat. When it’s almost smoking, add the onion, carrot, and half of the garlic, and sauté until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes.
2. Add the tomatoes with their juice, clam juice, wine, a ½ teaspoon of the salt, and ¼ teaspoon of the black pepper, and bring the broth to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until the liquid reduces and the tomatoes break down, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.
3. Carefully transfer the tomato mixture to the bowl of a food processor and puree until smooth, adding water a couple of tablespoons at a time to form a broth consistency. Return the broth to the pot and keep it warm. Note: The tomato broth can be made 1 day ahead. Let it cool, then cover and refrigerate. Bring it back to a simmer before continuing on with the recipe.
4. In a medium saucepan, combine 2 cups of the broth, 1 cup of the water, and 1 tablespoon of oil. Bring the mixture to a boil.
5. Stir in the couscous, and the remove the saucepan from the heat. Cover and set aside until the couscous has absorbed the liquid, about 10 minutes. Season salt and pepper to taste.
6. In a large skillet, heat the remaining ¼ cup of oil over medium flame. Add the remaining garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 20 seconds.
7. Add the shrimp and sauté until the shrimp just begin to turn pink, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, and stir in the lemon juice, parsley, red pepper flakes, and the remaining ½ teaspoon of salt.
8. Spoon the couscous into the center of serving plates and top with the shrimp. Spoon some of the remaining broth around the couscous and serve.

Recipe source: Giadzy