A quick and easy dinner idea that’s full of flavor. Spicy prawns, fluffy couscous – what’s not to love?
Barbecued Harissa Prawns with Israeli Couscous
Have a go at this delicious & low calorie seafood recipe, with a gorgeous, colourful Israeli couscous for the perfect BBQ lunch!
Ingredients
- 750 g (about 24) medium to large green prawns peeled & deveined (tails intact)
- 1 tbsp harissa paste
- 3 tsp olive oil
- Juice and finely grated zest of 1 lemon
- 1 cup israeli couscous
- 3 tsp olive oil
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 3 roma tomatoes finely diced
- 1 regular cucumber finely diced
- 1 red capsicum finely diced
- 3 long green spring onions (scallions) finely sliced
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley & mint finely sliced
- sea salt & freshly ground pepper
Fresh Harissa Paste
- 4 long fresh red chillies halved & finely chopped
- 2 cloves crushed
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
Prawns
- Peel and devein prawns, leaving tails intact. Set aside in a glass or ceramic bowl.
- Whisk together the harissa paste (*recipe below), olive oil, lemon juice and zest in a jug. Pour over the prawns, cover and allow to marinate for at least 30 minutes.
- Heat BBQ to high. Remove the prawns from the marinade and thread two prawns onto each skewer.
- Grill on the BBQ until they become pink and no longer translucent, about 3-5 minutes per side. Serve immediately.
- Tip: As a general guide, 1 kg of green prawns in the shell equals about 24 medium to large prawns, and yields about 500 g of peeled prawn meat. 100 grams of green peeled prawn meat contains 88 Calories.
Israeli Couscous
- Bring a medium saucepan half filled with water to a rolling boil. Add the Israeli couscous or fregola. Cook for 10 to 12 mins or until al dente (firm to the bite but not hard). Drain and rinse with cold water.
- Place rinsed couscous or fregola into a large mixing bowl. Add olive oil, garlic, lemon juice and zest. Toss well to combine. Set aside to cool.
- Add tomato, cucumber, capsicum and spring onions tossing to combine.
- Cover and allow to sit for 30 minutes before serving to allow flavours to meld.
- Just before serving toss through the finely sliced herbs and a good squeeze of extra lemon juice.
- Tip: Israeli couscous is rolled into larger balls than regular couscous and is toasted rather than dried, giving it a nutty flavour and sturdier texture which retains its shape and more importantly doesn’t clump together when cooked. It is very similar to Italian fregola.
Harissa Paste
- Combine chilli, garlic, salt, cumin, coriander, and olive oil in a mortar and use a pestle to pound until a smooth paste forms.
- Alternatively place ingredients in the bowl of a small food processor and pulse, being careful not to over process.
- Tip: Makes approx 2.5 tablespoons (approximately 65 Calories per tablespoon). Can be used as a spicy condiment to add heat to any meal, particularly good forked through couscous and other grains or as a marinade for protein – chicken, seafood or tofu. Recipe suitable to double or quadruple. Big batch refrigerator item.
Nutrition
Calories: 338kcalCarbohydrates: 30.4gProtein: 26.9gFat: 9.9gSaturated Fat: 1.5gCholesterol: 140mgSodium: 632mgFiber: 7.5gSugar: 8.1g
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