Greek shrimp, feta, lemon and basil couscous salad

The combination of flavors in this salad -- feta, lemon, basil, olives -- transports the armchair traveler in me to a taverna in Greece, where I imagine myself sitting at a round iron-legged café table overlooking the Mediterranean, sipping ouzo in the low afternoon sun. Luckily, this simple summer recipe tastes every bit as good if you're enjoying it on your own front porch. Israeli couscous -- not Greek, but from the other side of the Mediterranean -- is a small pasta that's toasted, which gives it a firm texture; if you can't find it in your market, use regular couscous, fregula sarda, or orzo or another small pasta. The lemon dressing gets its balance from Greek seasoning, a blend of oregano, lemon zest, salt and pepper I discovered a few years ago on a visit to The Spice House in Chicago. The basil in this salad came from my own herb garden, the first aromatic leaves of the season. Greece is lovely, but home can be quite tasty, too.

Greek shrimp, feta, lemon and basil couscous salad

From the pantry, you'll need: frozen shrimp, lemon, extra virgin olive oil, Dijon mustard, feta cheese, black olives.

Serves 3-4; can be multiplied.

Ingredients

1-1/2 cups Israeli couscous
3 cups boiling water

For the lemon dressing:
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp Greek seasoning
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard

For the salad:
1 lb cooked large peeled and deveined shrimp
4 large basil leaves, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup sliced black olives
1/2 tsp fresh lemon thyme leaves (or regular thyme)

Directions

Place the couscous in a 2- or 3-quart sauce pan, and pour the boiling water over it. Simmer for 8-10 minutes, until the couscous is cooked through. Drain off any excess water, rinse under cold water and drain again, and place the couscous in a mixing bowl.

In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine all of the ingredients for the lemon dressing, and shake the jar vigorously to emulsify (thicken) the dressing.

To the mixing bowl with the couscous, add the shrimp, feta, olives and thyme leaves. Drizzle on the dressing, and stir gently to combine.

Serve at room temperature.

[Printer-friendly recipe.]

More salads you can make with Israeli couscous:
Shrimp, couscous, feta and herb salad with tomato vinaigrette
Couscous for a summer night
Couscous with orange and dried fruit
Fregula sarda with leeks and sausage

Other recipes that use these pantry ingredients:
Pasta with shrimp, artichokes and feta, from eCurry
Lemon and dill shrimp quesadilla, from Cookin' Canuck
Greek shrimp bruschetta, from Foxes Love Lemons
Lemony shrimp salad with avocado, heart of palm, and feta, from Kalyn's Kitchen
Lemon and arugula farfalle with feta and basil, from Three Many Cooks

Need some new ideas to turn your same-old salad into exciting salad? Download Dress Up Your Salad, my e-book packed with easy mix-and-match recipes, full-color photos and a few fun videos. Fantastic salad recipes can be just one click away, on any computer, tablet or smart phone, with the FREE Kindle Reading app. Click here to learn more.

Greek shrimp, feta, lemon and basil couscous salad

From the pantry, you'll need: frozen shrimp, lemon, extra virgin olive oil, Dijon mustard, feta cheese, black olives.

Serves 3-4; can be multiplied.

Ingredients

1-1/2 cups Israeli couscous
3 cups boiling water

For the lemon dressing:
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp Greek seasoning
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard

For the salad:
1 lb cooked large peeled and deveined shrimp
4 large basil leaves, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup sliced black olives
1/2 tsp fresh lemon thyme leaves (or regular thyme)

Directions

Place the couscous in a 2- or 3-quart sauce pan, and pour the boiling water over it. Simmer for 8-10 minutes, until the couscous is cooked through. Drain off any excess water, rinse under cold water and drain again, and place the couscous in a mixing bowl.

In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine all of the ingredients for the lemon dressing, and shake the jar vigorously to emulsify (thicken) the dressing.

To the mixing bowl with the couscous, add the shrimp, feta, olives and thyme leaves. Drizzle on the dressing, and stir gently to combine.

Serve at room temperature.

[Printer-friendly recipe.]

More salads you can make with Israeli couscous:
Shrimp, couscous, feta and herb salad with tomato vinaigrette
Couscous for a summer night
Couscous with orange and dried fruit
Fregula sarda with leeks and sausage

Other recipes that use these pantry ingredients:
Pasta with shrimp, artichokes and feta, from eCurry
Lemon and dill shrimp quesadilla, from Cookin' Canuck
Greek shrimp bruschetta, from Foxes Love Lemons
Lemony shrimp salad with avocado, heart of palm, and feta, from Kalyn's Kitchen
Lemon and arugula farfalle with feta and basil, from Three Many Cooks

Need some new ideas to turn your same-old salad into exciting salad? Download Dress Up Your Salad, my e-book packed with easy mix-and-match recipes, full-color photos and a few fun videos. Fantastic salad recipes can be just one click away, on any computer, tablet or smart phone, with the FREE Kindle Reading app. Click here to learn more.

Comments

yum. i love the sound of this salad and started investigating the greek seasoning you mentioned. in your description you mentioned that it contained rosemary, lemon zest, salt and pepper. i love rosemary so i went to the vendor page to look at that spice blend. what i found was oregano, onion powder, lemon zest, S&P. i think i may try the recipe with rosemary instead of oregano, because it intrigues me, and no onion powder and see how it works. i have a feeling it needs the oregano to taste 'greek'. dunno. thanks for the beautiful idea.

Looks yummy!

Janis, you are absolutely right -- my typographical error! I've corrected it in the post. But, you know, it will be good either way, rosemary or oregano! Thanks for the catch.

Donna, and so it is.

I get tired of making shrimp by themselves, and love this idea with the couscous. Maybe I could do it with quinoa as well!

Nicole, you absolutely could use quinoa. Or any small pasta. Enjoy!

Enjoy! What is in the Greek Seasoning? It is helpful if you list all of the ingredients and not take for granted that everyone of your reader knows what you know. Thank You. I am also a frequent reader and do appreciate your comments.

David, you can see that I do list the ingredients in the very beginning of this post.

great salad, love the use of shrimp with couscous in a cold, refreshing preparation...

perfect for the weather we are having...

Sally, I never liked gloppy pasta salads, but this salad is the opposite -- clean, fresh, and really good when cold.