This delicious pasta salad from Food and Wine is a great way to use summer herbs, cherry tomatoes and zucchini. Combine herbs, lemon juice, garlic and spices in a food processor and pulse into a paste. Add oil to form an herb sauce. Marinate shrimp in one-third of the sauce and toss tomatoes and zucchini with the remaining sauce. Grill the shrimp and cook the pasta. Rinse the pasta under cold water and add to the tomato-zucchini mixture. Serve the pasta salad topped with the grilled shrimp, drizzle with a little olive oil and garnish with parsley.
Avoiding Additives and Preservatives
Use freshly squeezed lemon juice. Check the dried spices to make sure they don’t contain colour or anti-caking agents. I use thawed frozen shrimp with only salt used as a preservative.
Pearl couscous salad with grilled shrimp
Ingredients:
2 cups (500 ml) loosely packed fresh parsley leaves and tender stems, plus more leaves for garnish
½ cup (125 ml) loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems
6 tablespoons (90 ml) fresh lemon juice (from 2 lemons)
2 tablespoons (30 ml) fresh mint leaves
3 large garlic cloves, smashed
1 teaspoon (5 ml) ground cumin
½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) ground coriander
½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) crushed red pepper
1 ¼ teaspoons (6.25 ml) kosher salt, divided, plus more to taste
2/3 cup (165 ml) extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for grill and for drizzling
1 pound (454 g) peeled and deveined raw jumbo shrimp, tail-on
2 small zucchini, very thinly sliced lengthwise into ribbons
2 cups (500 ml) multicolored cherry tomatoes, halved
1 ½ cups (375 ml) uncooked pearl couscous
Preparation:
Pulse parsley, cilantro, lemon juice, mint, garlic, cumin, coriander, red pepper, and 1 teaspoon salt (5 ml) in a food processor until a coarse paste forms, about 5 pulses. With processor running, slowly pour olive oil through food chute, and blend until just combined, about 15 seconds, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.
Divide herb sauce between 2 bowls, placing 1/3 in a medium bowl and 2/3 in a large bowl. Add shrimp to medium bowl and toss to coat; cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes. Add zucchini and tomatoes to large bowl and stir to coat; cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Preheat grill to very high. Place shrimp on oiled grates; discard marinade. Grill, uncovered, turning occasionally, until shrimp are just cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer shrimp to a plate, and sprinkle with remaining ¼ (1.25 ml) teaspoon salt; set aside.
Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain pasta. Rinse cooked pasta under cold water and drain well. Fold pasta into chilled zucchini mixture until well coated. Season with additional salt to taste. Transfer to a serving platter. Top with shrimp and drizzle with additional olive oil; garnish with parsley. Serves 4-6.
From Food and Wine
