Thursday, October 6, 2016

Moroccan Shrimp


This dish may not look like much, but looks can be deceiving.  It made a scrumptious, though rather plain, meal.


I'm not sure if it is authentic Moroccan cuisine or not.  Moroccan cuisine has been influenced by Mediterranean, Arabic, Andalusian, and Berber flavors.  I'm not sure who the Berbers are, but they are from North Africa.

Moroccan foods often have cinnamon, cumin, turmeric, coriander, saffron, ginger, paprika, sesame seeds, fennel, and anise, among other spices.  Couscous is Moroccan.


Some better known Moroccan dishes are tagine, harira, makouda, zalouk, and mint tea.  I have only heard of tagine and mint tea.  I actually have a few couple of tagine recipes on my blog.  I have a chicken tagine recipe and a vegetable tagine recipe.  I have also posted a Marrakesh vegetable curry.


This shrimp recipe came from Real Simple.  I made it exactly as directed.


The ingredients are couscous, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 large onion, 1 red bell pepper, 3/4 cup golden raisins, 1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes, 1 pound shrimp, 2 teaspoons ground cumin, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and lemon juice.


I prepared the couscous according to the package's instructions.


I added the oil to a pan over medium heat.  I added the onion, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and some black pepper.  I cooked the onions for about five to seven minutes.



In a bowl, I combined the shrimp, cumin, cinnamon, more black pepper, and lemon juice.



Once the onions were softened, I added the chopped bell pepper and raisins.  I cooked this mixture for four minutes.


I chopped the tomatoes and added them to the pan.  I cooked the ingredients for another three minutes.


 I added the shrimp and cooked the mixture for another three minutes.  The shrimp were completely cooked.


I served this over the cooked and fluffed couscous.  


It was scrumptious.


The spices were warm, automatic, and enticing.  


The shrimp was tender and not chewy.  


It had depth of flavor.  There was some acidity, savory, and sweet flavors.


The ingredients are simple and commonplace, but the taste was a little exotic.  


It was a satisfying and appealing dish.  I would make it again.  It was very delicious.





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