Lemon corn couscous with asparagus and shrimp
Among the most beloved spring vegetables, asparagus can be used in many different recipes. Here is one of our favorites: Lemon Corn Couscous with Asparagus and Shrimp! The recipe is by our Anna Attanasio, food blogger at Giallo Zafferano.
Ingredients:
- 300 g of corn couscous
- 300 g of hot water or broth
- 250 g of asparagus
- 250 g of shrimp tails or prawns
- 1 untreated lemon (zest and juice)
- fine salt to taste
- 5 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- 1 bunch of parsley
Preparation:
Wash the asparagus, then cut off the bottom part of the stalk, cut the tips to a length of about 2-3 cm and the stalks into pieces of about 1.5-2 cm.
Bring slightly salted water to a boil, once boiling add the chopped asparagus stalks, bring back to a boil and cook for 5 minutes.
After 5 minutes, add the tips and cook for another 5 minutes. Then drain the asparagus with a ladle and keep the cooking water.
Clean the shrimp by removing the head (if you bought them whole), the shell, and the black vein (the crustacean’s intestine) by making a small cut on the back and using a toothpick to help with the operation.
Wash them and then cook them in the asparagus cooking water for about 2-3 minutes. Drain them without discarding the cooking water.
Pour the couscous into a bowl, strain the shrimp and asparagus cooking water and pour 300 g of it, still hot, over the couscous, stir, cover, and let it rehydrate for 10 minutes.
After the resting time, fluff it with a fork. Wash the lemon and grate the zest, place it in a small bowl.
Squeeze the lemon and strain the juice, pour it into the bowl with the grated zest, add the chopped parsley and a pinch of salt. Mix with a fork to emulsify.
Pour the fluffed couscous into a large bowl, add the shrimp (you can leave them whole or cut them into pieces), the asparagus, and the oil and lemon emulsion, mix well.
Refrigerate the lemon couscous with asparagus and shrimp for about 30 minutes or until ready to serve.
