Grilled Prosciutto-Wrapped Shrimp with Lemon Couscous

At the risk of boring you…I found an additional way to use my organic lemons. This was a first time dish for me. The recipe is so straightforward and includes 5 of my favorite ingredients – prosciutto, shrimp, basil, balsamic vinegar and lemon. Combined with an outdoor grill, these components can produce something spectacular to tantalize your taste buds.

I found this recipe in a cookbook called the “Dinner Doctor” by Anne Byrn. It's concept is close to mine – it’s OK to substitute aspects of a recipe with “pre-made” ingredients. I will not make a few recipes in the book due to some undesirable elements including Campbell’s Cream of Asparagus Soup and Velveeta. I’ll take a shortcut but not that short of a cut!

Therefore, I was delighted to find this dish using a pre-made balsamic vinaigrette. It has also been in the 80’s F in San Diego, so the perfect occasion to grill and not over heat the house.  Prosciutto is an Italian ham that grills well.  It has a salty yet sweet flavor that compliments shrimp.  Place these skewers on a hot grill so the prosciutto will crisp up.

Time Saving Tip:
Purchased Balsamic Vinaigrette

Grilled Prosciutto Wrapped Shrimp
On a Bed of Lemon Couscous
serves 4

1 cup bottled balsamic vinaigrette (Paul Newman’s is a nice choice)
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
Black pepper
16 jumbo or 24 large shrimp peeled and deveined
16 or 24 large basil leaves
16 or 24 thin slices of prosciutto

Lemon Couscous
¾ cup couscous
2 Tbsp. Chopped parsley
1 tsp.  lemon zest
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp. olive oil, or as needed

Whisk together balsamic vinaigrette and mustard in medium sized bowl. Season with pepper to taste. Add shrimp and let marinate for 1 – 6 hours in the refrigerator.

One hour before serving prepare lemon couscous. Pour 1 ½ cups of water into a 2 quart sauce pan with salt to taste. Bring to boil and stir in couscous, remove from heat and cover. Let the couscous sit for at least 5 minutes.

Heat your grill to medium or 350 degrees. Remove shrimp from marinade setting marinade aside. Wrap each shrimp first with a basil leaf and then with a slice of prosciutto. Thread four to five shrimp onto a metal skewer or a wooden skewer soaked in water for at least an hour. Grill shrimp until pink and cooked through – approximately 2 -3 minutes per side.

Fluff couscous with a fork, then stir in lemon zest, juice and enough olive oil to moisten.

Serve skewers on couscous.


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