Sauteed Shrimp and Onions over Cayenne Couscous

By mm_food4me

If you don’t want to mess up a lot of pots, you could also try adding in some toasted and ground cumin or chopping dates and tossing those in with some grated orange zest.
Also, a great way to “fluff” the couscous is to steam it, ideally in a couscoussier or place a steamer basket over boiling water. Place a clean dishtowel in the basket and add the partially-cooked couscous. Empty steamed couscous into a large bowl. Then–and this I learned from an Algerian cook in France–you add some butter and gently roll a handful of grains at a time between both hands until all the couscous has been separated and “fluffed”; repeat steaming and rolling. It takes a bit more time, but it’s worth the effort.

Ingredients

• 1 red onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 cup dry whole wheat couscous
• 6 ounces baby shrimp
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper (or more, to taste)
• salt to taste

Details

Servings 2
Cooking time 25mins

Preparation

Step 1

Slice onions into long strips and dice the garlic. Add, with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, to a saute pan over medium heat. Sprinkle the onion with the sugar and stir regularly until the onions are soft (about 10 or 15 minutes). Prepare couscous according to package directions. After couscous is cooked, add 1 tablespoon olive oil, all of the cayenne, and salt to taste. Once the onions are soft, add shrimp and cook until they are bright pink, and have a bit of char. Then put a cup of the couscous on a plate, and top with half the onion and shrimp mixture, repeat on a second plate. I used a fork to push the couscous into a shape, but that is obviously a presentation choice, not a taste one. Enjoy!