Moroccan Shrimp

This Moroccan shrimp recipe uses ingredients and flavors from around the world: Israeli couscous, pine nuts from cooler climates, and lemons from warmer ones. The recipe’s name is a nod to its signature ingredient: ras el hanout, a traditional Moroccan seasoning blend.

Moroccan food draws from many cultures. Westerners often equate Moroccan cooking with couscous, but it’s more about the deep layers of texture and flavor, both subtle and robust. Recipes often start with simple vegetables, grains and meats with an elaborate, sophisticated spice profile.

Fortunately for time-pressed cooks, the Moroccan seasoning blend takes care of most of the complexity in this shrimp recipe, and its nine ingredients rapidly become a one-pan meal. As the Israeli couscous absorbs the spiced liquid and expands to its fullest size, raw jumbo shrimp cook until juicy and sweet. From start to finish, this shrimp and couscous recipe takes less than 30 minutes.

Moroccan Shrimp Ingredients

• Onion: Add the onion to the canola oil with the pine nuts. It doesn’t need to brown; it just needs to turn soft and sweet. White or yellow onions are the best for this dish.
• Pine nuts: Pine nuts add a buttery, nutty flavor to the dish. Watch them closely and stir them frequently in the hot oil. Pine nuts have loads of natural oils that burn easily, and ruining a batch is expensive.
• Shrimp: Jumbo raw shrimp (16-20 per pound) stay juicier than smaller ones, and are far more tender than precooked ones—especially after they’ve simmered with the couscous. Peel off the shells and tails before you cook them for easy eating.
• Israeli couscous: Israeli couscous is a toasted wheat pasta that’s larger than Moroccan couscous. The round balls swell even further as they absorb liquid and flavors. Run a fork through the couscous before serving it to separate any clumps.
• Lemon juice: The bright acidity of lemon juice stands out against the sweet, slightly briny shrimp. One small lemon holds more than enough juice to mix into Moroccan shrimp, but you can use bottled lemon juice in the recipe. Grab a second lemon if you want wedges for serving.
• Moroccan seasoning: Ras el hanout literally means “top of the shop” and can contain a dozen or more spices, with heavy emphasis on cinnamon. Look for it in a spice shop or well-stocked natural food store, or make your own, simpler Moroccan spice blend.
• Garlic salt: Garlic salt is merely dehydrated, powdered garlic mixed with salt. Make your own from two parts garlic powder and one part sea salt, and then adjust to taste.
• Hot water: The water doesn’t need to be at a rolling boil when you add it, but you want it to reach that temperature quickly once it’s in the pan. The couscous will absorb most of it, but some will be left as a light sauce.

Directions

Step 1: Saute the onions and nuts

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Saute the onion and pine nuts until the onion is tender, two to three minutes.

Step 2: Cook the shrimp and couscous

Stir in the uncooked shrimp and couscous, lemon juice, seasoning, garlic salt and hot water, and then bring the mixture just to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the shrimp turn pink, for four to six minutes.

Step 3: Let the couscous steam and serve

Remove the pan from the heat and let the couscous stand, covered, for five minutes. If desired, top the Moroccan shrimp with parsley and serve it with lemon wedges.

Editor’s Tip: Couscous absorbs more liquid and keeps cooking while it rests—and so do the shrimp. Remove the pan from the heat as soon as the shrimp start to turn pink; this helps prevent them from becoming leathery as they sit.

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Moroccan Shrimp Variations

• Toast the couscous: To give the couscous roasted undertones, add it to the pan once the onion is tender. Toast the couscous for about three minutes before adding the pine nuts. Toast the nuts briefly until they’re fragrant and golden, then stirring in the shrimp, water and other flavors.
• Use nuts and fruit: Replace pricey pine nuts with more affordable (and more traditional) slivered almonds. When you remove the pan from the heat, stir in golden raisins or diced dried apricots. Substitute preserved lemons for the lemon juice for even more North African flavor.
• Mix in vegetables: Stir in extra ingredients right before serving the dish. Release intense bursts of flavor by adding halved cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced radishes, watercress or arugula, brined olives and pickled onions, plus fresh mint instead of parsley. For milder flavors, add roasted garlic, snap peas, diced carrots and bell pepper, baby spinach, chopped cucumber and sliced green onions.

How to Store Moroccan Shrimp

Pack the Moroccan shrimp dish in an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator. Before you store leftovers, let the couscous and shrimp cool to room temperature. Once the skillet is off the stove and uncovered, they should cool in less than an hour.

How long does Moroccan shrimp last?

Moroccan shrimp lasts three to four days in the fridge. The Israeli couscous will continue to absorb liquid even at fridge temperatures, which could make it softer and stickier as it sits.

How do you reheat Moroccan shrimp?

To reheat Moroccan shrimp couscous, add it to a large skillet set over medium-low heat, along with a splash of hot water. Heat, stirring often, until the shrimp are warmed through. But you don’t have to reheat Moroccan shrimp. Cooked Israeli couscous is frequently served cold, like in this summer salad recipe. Add chopped vegetables and treat the leftovers like a chilled pasta salad.

Moroccan Shrimp Tips

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What’s the best way to clean and devein shrimp for Moroccan shrimp?

Thawed jumbo shrimp are so big that you should be able to clean the shrimp in mere minutes. Pop off the heads (if they’re still attached) with the fingers of one hand while you grip the body in the other hand. With the head gone, peel away the shell until you can pinch the flesh at that end, and then pinch the shell’s back ridge with your other hand. Wiggle lightly until the flesh pops out in one piece, leaving the body and tail shell behind.

How do you know when shrimp are cooked?

Shrimp turn an opaque pink when cooked and curl into a C shape. Although this takes longer with jumbo shrimp than with small ones, the transition happens quickly. Watch for the change and remove the pan from the heat as soon as they change color. Moroccan shrimp will continue to cook in the hot, covered pan while the couscous plumps fully, so you should err on the side of pulling the shrimp off the stove early.

What else can you serve with Moroccan shrimp?

Serve Moroccan shrimp as a quick skillet meal with a simple green side salad or on its own if you added vegetables to the dish. Spiced garlic carrots make a tasty and classic Moroccan side dish, but look to the region for ideas. For example, Syrian green beans with fresh herbs build on the shrimp’s parsley garnish with cilantro and mint. Before the meal, nibble on herb-roasted olives and tomatoes, and follow it with decadent almond-pecan date truffles.