Shrimp and Couscous Stew (Cioppino-style)

A brothy stew full of shrimp, fennel, tomato and aromatics, is made luscious with pearl couscous, and bright with lemon, dill, and Castelvetrano olives (any green olive will do!). It’s reminiscent of Cioppino taken up a notch with zesty flavors.

The origin of this recipe

I’m excited to share this shrimp and Israeli couscous (a.k.a. pearl couscous) stew recipe with you for so many reasons. Like most of my recipes, it comes together easily and quickly, it’s full of fresh, zesty flavors, colorful ingredients and as a bonus, it makes a showstopper presentation with little effort! No beige food here! Seriously though, it melds many of the great Mediterranean ingredients such as lemon, olive, tomato, dill, and fennel, and shows them off beautifully. I suggest using your prettiest Dutch oven and serving it at the table. I almost forgot to mention the pearl couscous, which adds a luscious texture to the dish and makes this shrimp stew more filling than a traditional Cioppino. It’s Cioppino, dare I say, leveled up!

Above: The green stalks and soft herb leaves of the fennel bulb are chopped up with fresh dill and lemon zest to add to the shrimp stew at the end of cooking.

Ingredient notes and substitutions

• Pearl Couscous – pearl couscous is larger and rounder than traditional couscous. Both are a type of tiny pasta. This recipe only asks for 4 oz or 1 cup of the couscous. I emphasize this, because as tempting as it might be to measure casually or throw in the last of what you have, using more in this recipe will cause the liquid/broth to disappear (pasta will continue to absorb any liquid it is in). You’ll have a shrimp pilaf, not a stew! If you cannot get your hands on pearl couscous, I recommend orzo, another tiny pasta, or traditional couscous. Keep in mind, if you sub, this recipe is based on using pasta, not a grain. The couscous is cooked separately and added at the end of the cooking of the stew to prevent too much liquid from being absorbed. I suggest serving the couscous individually, if you do not plan to eat the entire stew in one sitting, again, to prevent the absorption of the stew broth.
• Raw Shrimp – this recipe calls for deveined and shelled shrimp. You can opt to buy the shrimp this way or shell and devein them yourself. Delicate in flavor, shrimp cook in an instant. There isn’t a good substitute, as shrimp in the shells will be hard to pick out of hot broth.
• Fennel bulb – this ribbed veggie, is not unlike celery, but has a rounder shape, a subtle anise flavor. Don’t be deterred, as it is very mellow. If you prefer you can substitute celery (a couple of stalks) in place of it.
• White wine – wine adds a wonderful fruity acidity to the dish, but you can leave it out if you prefer, as the lemon adds a similar flavor. Much of it cooks off, so if you are not using it, add 1/2 cup of water or broth.
• Green Olives – Any green pitted olive works here and adds a great briny flavor, but the brighter green olives you see in the photos for this recipe are Castelvetrano, which have a mild, buttery flavor and taste a tad less briny. If you can find them, they are worth a try.

Above: These produce ingredients, along with some pantry staples, are all you need.

Pearl Couscous

Also known as Israeli couscous, pearl couscous is a type of tiny pasta made from glutenous and high protein semolina flour and interestingly was developed in the 1950s in Israel, when rice was in short supply. It’s larger than the more commonly found, Moroccan couscous.

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Method + Timing

• Saute – The aromatics are sauteed in olive oil for a few minutes, then the tomato paste is added and sauteed briefly. The wine and canned tomatoes are then added and cooked briefly to cook down the wine.
• Cook the couscous – the pearl couscous is cooked separately, then added at the end of the recipe.
• Create the broth– tomato paste, tomatoes, wine and broth are added and cooked down just a tad.
• Cook the shrimp – At this point, the shrimp are added along with the fresh dill, lemon zest, juice, and olives. Within 5 minutes the shrimp will be cooked and the dish can be served.

Above: 1. Saute onion, fennel, carrots, garlic. 2. Add tomato paste and cook for a bit to caramelize the tomato paste (deepens flavor). 3. Add in tomatoes and broth. 4. the shrimp and then the cooked couscous are added at the end.

Serving, storing and reheating

• Serving – This dish is incredibly easy to put together and is so pretty, you might like to bring the entire pot to the table to serve family style. It’s worthy of serving on a special occasion, with some crusty bread and a salad! Garnish with fresh dill, extra lemon zest, and even lemon wedges with each bowlful.

• Storing + Reheating – As mentioned, if you anticipate having leftovers, consider keeping the couscous separate and serving into the individual bowls of stew so you can store the leftover stew and couscous separately without the couscous absorbing all the liquid.

Other fish + seafood recipes

Try my super easy and delicious Herby Fish Stew with Crispy Potatoes or my Tuna Casserole Reinvented: Tuna with Zesty Artichoke and Goat Cheese Pasta Sauce (hot or chilled)!

Collaboration

I had a blast collaborating with my fellow blogger over on Club Trader Joe’s who reviews all kinds of TJ’s products. I highly recommend his site. I guest-posted a version of this recipe on his site called Trader Joe’s Harvest Blend and Argentinian Shrimp Stew using Trader Joe’s Harvest Blend and Raw Argentinian Red Shrimp. Check it out!