Shrimp Couscous is roasted with asparagus and red pepper on one pan and topped with a bold green herb sauce. Ready in 30 minutes!
author’s note
Low-Effort, Big Flavor Shrimp Couscous!
This Shrimp Couscous recipe came together when I was craving something light, fresh, and still filling. I wanted a meal that felt like spring but didn’t take a lot of effort. I had asparagus (leftover from making roasted asparagus on repeat) and red pepper on hand, and I knew they would roast up beautifully alongside some shrimp.
Couscous makes the perfect quick base, and I wanted a bold, punchy sauce to pull it all together. That’s where the green herb sauce comes in. It adds so much flavor and makes the whole dish feel bright and intentional.
This is one of those meals that looks impressive but is easy enough for any weeknight.
Ingredients
| Ingredient | What it does | Swap ideas |
|---|---|---|
| Raw large shrimp, peeled & deveined | Protein that cooks fast | Scallops or cubed chicken |
| Moroccan (small) couscous | Fluffy base that steams in minutes (Olgas Flavor Factory) | Pearl couscous (add 5‑7 min cook time) |
| Asparagus (½ lb) & red bell pepper (1) | Spring color and crunch | Zucchini or broccoli florets |
| Green herb sauce (parsley, cilantro, mint, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, pinch red‑pepper flake) | Zesty finish that ties it together | Basil or dill for the herbs |
| Olive oil, salt, pepper, smoked paprika | Simple seasoning | Your favorite spice blend |
How To Make Shrimp Couscous
- Blend sauce: Purée herbs, garlic, oil, lemon, and chili until smooth; chill.
- Prep pan: Heat oven. Coat asparagus and pepper with oil, paprika, salt, and pepper on a large sheet pan.
- Roast veggies: Bake 7 to 8 minutes until bright green and tender‑crisp.
- Add shrimp: Flip veggies, add seasoned shrimp, and roast 5 to 6 minutes.
- Steam couscous: Boil 1 cup broth, stir in 1 cup couscous, cover 5 minutes, then fluff.
- Assemble: Fold a little sauce into couscous, top with shrimp and veggies.
More Shrimp Dinners:
Shrimp Couscous
Equipment
- Wide-mouth Mason Jar or other sealable container
Ingredients
- Salt and pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper increase to 1/2 teaspoon if you love spice!
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 lemons
- 1/2 pound large shrimp peeled and deveined, 21/25
- 1 cup couscous
- 1 medium red pepper sliced into thin strips and strips halved
- 1/2 pound asparagus woody ends removed and cut into thirds
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 3 to 4 cloves finely chopped garlic
- 1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro about 1 full bunch
- 1/2 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley about 1 full bunch
Instructions
- Start with the sauce so it has time for flavors to meld; it can be made 1–2 days in advance. In a large jar, add olive oil, Italian seasoning, red wine vinegar, honey, and 2 tablespoons lemon juice. Finely chop garlic and add to the jar. Shake well to combine ingredients. Finely chop a bunch of parsley to get a full 1/2 cup (you should use most of a good-sized bunch; simply cut off the bottom of the bunch and chop the rest). Finely chop the cilantro. Add parsley and cilantro to the jar and stir to combine. Seal and refrigerate to “marinate.”
- Preheat oven to 400°F. On a large sheet pan, add chopped asparagus (remove ends and cut all the asparagus into 3 parts) and chopped red pepper. In a small bowl, stir together 1 teaspoon salt, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, cayenne pepper, olive oil, and 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Stir to form a paste and add half to the veggies. Toss well to coat and spread into 1 even layer so no veggies overlap. Place in oven and cook 6–7 minutes (this will vary on the thickness of veggies).
- Meanwhile, prepare the shrimp. Pat shrimp dry and gently toss in a bowl with the remaining spice paste. Remove veggies from oven, toss, and allow room for the shrimp. Add shrimp to the sheet pan and cook another 6–7 minutes or until shrimp is opaque and veggies are crisp-tender. Remove.
- While everything is cooking, prepare the couscous according to package directions. (Bring 1 cup water to a boil and once it boils, remove from heat, stir in couscous, and place the lid on. Let stand 2–4 minutes.) Fluff couscous with a fork. Add 1/2 cup of herb sauce and 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper (or to taste).
- Divide couscous onto 2 (or 4—see note 1) plates. Add equal amounts of veggies and shrimp. Serve with remaining herb sauce. (Add to taste; you may have some leftover.) Enjoy immediately.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Shrimp Couscous Cooking Tips
Asparagus and peppers
Roasted asparagus is done when it turns bright green and is tender but still has a slight bite to it. You can pierce the spears with a fork or take a quick bite of one to gauge how cooked they are.
- Difficult to chew? Undercooked
- Mushy? Overcooked
The same applies to red peppers. Make sure the peppers are very thinly sliced and then the slices are halved so they’ll be done at the same time the asparagus is.
Shrimp
You’ll know the shrimp are done when they turn from blue-grey and translucent color to an opaque whitish-pink color.
The shrimp should curl up into a “C” shape when properly cooked. An undercooked shrimp will still have some grayish spots on them and form more of a flexible “U” shape.
This was amazing!! I didn’t change a thing and it was sooo good!
So happy to hear this! Thanks Karen!
Made this, but swapped out scallops for shrimp. It was amazing!
Yum! I’m so happy you enjoyed! Thanks Andy!
My sister made this dish and it was so good I made it myself! It is so quick and easy yet so tasty. The herb sauce is amazing! I use it on many different meats and veggies.
Yay! I am so happy to hear this! Thanks so much for your comment! 🙂