Couscous With Mussels and Shrimp
Published June 24, 2014
Melina Hammer for The New York Times
- Total Time
- 45 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 ounces chorizo, diced
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
½ teaspoon Espelette pepper
1 teaspoon Spanish smoked paprika
1 teaspoon salt, more to taste
1 ½ cups coarsely chopped cherry tomatoes (about 18)
1 ½ cups coarse-textured couscous
1 pound large shrimp, shelled and deveined
⅔ cup dry vermouth
1 cup fish stock
2 pounds mussels, scrubbed
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro leaves
1 lemon, in 6 wedges
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
46 grams carbs; 170 milligrams cholesterol; 476 calories; 5 grams monosaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 11 grams fat; 4 grams fiber; 994 milligrams sodium; 42 grams protein; 3 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Heat oil on medium in a 4-quart sauté pan. Add chorizo and let it sizzle a minute or two. Stir in onion, garlic and Espelette and cook until onion is soft. Stir in paprika, salt and tomatoes. Simmer gently about 5 minutes, until tomatoes soften and release their juices. Stir in couscous and cook a few minutes until all ingredients are well-combined.
- Step 2
Add shrimp, folding them in with the rest of the ingredients. Stir in vermouth and stock. Let the liquid come to a simmer. Taste liquid for seasoning and adjust salt and Espelette. Add mussels and reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and cook until mussels open, from 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat and let rest, covered, 5 minutes. The couscous should be tender and should have absorbed most of the liquid.
- Step 3
Serve directly from the sauté pan or pile the contents on a big, warm platter. Garnish with cilantro and lemon wedges.
Private Notes
Comments
This delicious dish was a huge dinner party hit. So much easier than paella and just as tasty, I believe. I used hot Italian sausage (because I had it) instead of chorizo and Israeli couscous, which I think is what Florence meant by
"course-textured"? It's also beautiful!
My wife and I really enjoy this dish with a slight change in the preparation. I add the shrimp after I put the mussels since I do not like shrimp to be overcooked.
my first try last week was great. so good that i make another batch today. this is a terrific recipe
this time i stuck to the recipe except:
used cooked New Zealand clams.
used a cup of their juice.
the stock was Knorr fish stock with the heads and shells from the prawns - plus of course the clam juice.
for the pepper i used 2 chopped typical emirate green chillies
and added 3 Emirati crab legs.
and used French medium couscous.
fantastic.
next time i will add Harissa.
delicious! my partner doesn't have alcohol so I used 110ml more fish stock and replaced 50ml of the would-be vermouth content with apple cider vinegar, came out great. also used 100g more tomatoes and 100g fewer prawns than listed and again, perfect -- for me one of the markers of a truly great recipe is how tinkering-resistant it is, and this was a great one :)
This was amazing. Great flavor and texture. I also added the mussels before the shrimp. They all opened and captured the couscous and spices inside. I used tricolor pearl couscous and smoked hot paprika and adobo in place of the pepper because I couldn’t find it. Otherwise exactly per recipe and will make this again and again!
I second the comments here about putting the shrimp in at the same time as the mussels and cous cous. Putting the shrimp in before means the shrimp will cook too long and be rubbery… unless you like chewy shrimp.