This salad is even better the next day! It’s what makes it a perfect salad for a beach day, a BBQ, picnic or camping. The corn is uncooked in this recipe, so it stays crisp even as it sits.
You can leave the cous cous out entirely or substitute with cooked quinoa. You can also leave out the prawns or substitute with grilled chicken or even tofu if you prefer.
Serves 8
Ingredients:
For Prawns: (Optional)
2 lbs prawns, peeled and deveined
2 tablespoons kosher salt
6 cups cold water
1 tablespoon neutral oil
freshly cracked black pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 clove of garlic, finely minced
For cous cous: (Optional)
1 cup Israeli cous cous
2 tablespoons neutral oil
1 1/2 cups water
1 teaspoon kosher salt
For Corn Salad:
4 ears of fresh corn
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
4 Persian cucumbers, small diced
4 green onions, thinly sliced
1 cup loosely packed chopped fresh basil leaves (reserve any small leaves for garnish)
½ large bunch dill, stemmed and chopped fine (about 2-3 tablespoons chopped dill)
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1-2 teaspoon sea or kosher salt, or to taste
Juice of 1 lemon (about ¼ cup fresh juice)
Zest of 1 lemon
1 clove garlic, finely minced
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
10 oz good quality, water packed feta (sheep if you can find it), crumbled
Directions:
1.) In a large bowl, combine the prawns, salt and water and let sit for 30 minutes to brine.
2.) While shrimp is brining, make the cous cous. In a medium saucepan set over medium high heat, toast the cous cous in the oil until the pearls turn golden brown. Add in the water and kosher salt and bring to a boil. Turn heat down to low. Cover and cook for about 14 minutes until cous cous is tender. Remove from heat, uncover and let cool.
3.) After 30 minutes, remove the prawns from the brine. Rinse under cool water and pat dry with a paper towel. Toss prawns with 1 tablespoon neutral oil, freshly cracked black pepper to taste, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1 clove of finely minced garlic. Toss well.
4.) Preheat a grill to high heat and season with neutral oil. Grill shrimp 4-5 minutes, flip and continue to cook 1-2 minutes longer. Remove to a plate and let cool while you prepare the rest of the salad.
5.) Shuck the corn and remove it from the cob.
6.) Put the cooled cous cous, corn kernels, tomatoes, cucumber, green onions, basil and dill into a serving bowl.
7.) In a small bowl, whisk the lemon juice and zest, olive oil, salt and pepper until emulsified. Taste, and add more salt and pepper if necessary.
8.) Pour the dressing over the salad and mix well. Add in the crumbled feta and toss gently again.
9.) Serve prawns over the salad, or serve on the side if the salad will be sitting overnight.