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Toasted Pine Nut Couscous with Garlic Shrimp

A shrimp and toasted pine nut couscous dish with garlic, herbs, lemon butter, spinach, and parmesan.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 13 ingredients
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Why it works: Tarragon and thyme match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 528 recipes. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓

Toasted Pine Nut Couscous with Garlic Shrimp

Time3 to 5 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Marinate the shrimp

  1. Peel, devein, rinse, and pat dry the shrimp.

  2. Place shrimp in a large self-sealing plastic bag. Add oil, garlic, tarragon, thyme, and Old Bay seasoning, then seal the bag.

  3. Gently turn and massage the bag to coat the shrimp with the marinade. Refrigerate for at least one hour.

Make the couscous

  1. Prepare the couscous according to the package directions, using chicken broth instead of water. Stir the green onions into the couscous. Set aside.

  2. Combine lemon juice and melted butter in a bowl; set aside.

Cook and serve

  1. Saute the shrimp in a large skillet with the marinade over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes, or until shrimp turns opaque. Pour half of the butter over the shrimp.

  2. Divide the spinach among individual bowls. Spoon couscous onto the spinach. Arrange the shrimp on the couscous and pour the remaining lemon butter over everything. Sprinkle with shredded parmesan.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

1041Calories
78 gProtein
56 gFat
60 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 15 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Pine Nut1 oz (28g)191
Couscous1 cup cooked (157g)176
Chicken100g cooked165
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Parmesan Cheese1 oz (28g)110
Butter1 tbsp (14g)102
Shrimp100g cooked99
Green Onion1 medium (110g)44
Lemonjuice of 1 lemon (48ml)12
Spinach1 cup raw (30g)7
Celery1 stalk (40g)6
Garlic1 clove (3g)4
Thyme1 tsp dried (1.4g)4
Tarragon1 tsp dried (0.5g)2
Salt1 tsp (6g)0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Tarragon + thymetop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together528 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

  2. Tarragon + celerytop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together456 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

  3. Clove + thymetop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together4,108 recipes

    Shared aroma: cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin).

  4. Olive + garlictop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together25,665 recipes

    Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).

  5. Thyme + celerytop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together3,193 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Shrimp
Provides the main protein, which turns opaque and firm when cooked through.
Garlic
Adds pungent aroma that mellows and sweetens as it cooks in the oil.
Olive oil
Carries the herbs and garlic into the shrimp and helps them brown in the skillet.
Couscous
Forms the absorbent base that soaks up the broth and lemon butter.
Chicken broth
Replaces water to add savory depth to the couscous as it absorbs liquid.
Lemon juice
Adds acidity that brightens the rich butter and the savory shrimp.

The step that matters

Cooking the shrimp until just opaque. Shrimp cook quickly, and overcooking makes the proteins tighten, leaving them rubbery and dry. Pull them from the heat as soon as they turn opaque.

Swap the clove

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (shrimp, olive, garlic, tarragon, thyme, celery, pine):

  1. Fennelfits better
  2. Basilfits better
  3. Parsleyfits better
  4. Clovethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against shrimp, olive, garlic, tarragon, thyme, celery, pine. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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