Grilled shrimp seasoned with Moroccan spices served over a bright and healthy chickpea salad.
I was in Charleston, SC last week, finishing the photo shoot for my upcoming cookbook. This was third time back there this year as my photographer, Helene Dujardin lives there. I’ve grown so fond of Charleston I could actually see myself living there. Beautiful city, so much history and charm, and the food scene is incredible. One of my favorite cozy neighborhood restaurants there is Lana’s where they serve Mediterranean cuisine with a southern flair.
This salad was a dish I had while there. It was so different, fresh and flavorful I asked Chef Ondo if he would mind sharing the recipe. He was kind enough to share so I made this for lunch yesterday and Tommy and I really enjoyed it. The shrimp gets marinated in a Moroccan style pesto called Chermoula made with fresh mint, cilantro and spices which I shared here yesterday on it’s own because it makes enough for several recipes and can be used on chicken, fish and even stirred into couscous if you wish. Then the shrimp is grilled and served over this simple salad – SO good!!
This was perfect as a light Spring lunch, Tommy loved it! If you want to make this more substantial for dinner you can increase the amount of shrimp and add more veggies to the salad. Hope you enjoy!
North African Spiced Shrimp and Chickpea Salad
Ingredients
- 24 extra-large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 1/2 tablespoons chermoula, Moroccan pesto
For the Chick Pea Salad:
- 1 15 ounce can chick peas rinsed and husked**
- 1 cup grape tomatoes, quartered
- 1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
- 1/4 cup diced red onion
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
- 2 tbsp mint, chiffonade
- 2 tbsp chopped chives or parsley
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- black pepper, to taste
- dash of Ras el Hanout
Instructions
- Place 6 shrimp on 4 metal skewers. Brush shrimp skewers with 1 1/2 tbsp of the chermoula and season with a dash more Ras el Hanout, salt and pepper.
- Grill shrimp on medium high heat for 2 minutes per side.
- Remove from grill and remove the skewer.
- Combine all the chick peas, tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, lemon juice, lemon zest and mint chiffonade in a bowl, season with salt and pepper drizzle with oil and vinegar.
- Divide on 4 plates (about 1 cup each) then top with the grilled shrimp and eat right away.
Would an indoor electric grill work?
I know this comment is late the the party – but my husband just loves this salad (with or without shrimp). I served this last night with your instant pot shredded harissa chicken, and it was so good.
Thank you for all of your wonderful recipes!
I made this for Easter to go with smoked leg of lamb. The grilled shrimp with chemoula was divine! But the salad as a whole seemed like too much effort for the result. There was a lot going on that day and I did some prep the night before. Imagine my surprise, When after dinner Easter night I found the chiffonade mint and parsley, already prepared, but not added to the salad because it was nowhere in the written instructions. At least I couldn’t find them. Did I miss something? At what point are those ingredientas added to the recipe? Thanks in advance for setting me straight. I’d love to take another stab at this one.
So sorry! I just updated the directions, it goes in at step #4.
I think this looks great….but….29g of carbs per serving is not low carb.
Chickpeas are higher in carbs. Leave them out and increase the listed low carb veg.
I don’t see this tagged as low carb. There are plenty of ways to eat healthy and whether your chosen philosophy admits it or not, human beings need carbohydrates.
I am trying to find a recipe that I first saw on a Facebook post. It was a video. I was unable to g e the ingredients. I found it once on this sight. I was unable to copy it at that time.I tried many times since but unable to find it. I think it was UnstuffedCabbage Soup…..Can you help me?
I made this today for my meal prep. I made 4 servings and I’m sure the flavors will be even more amazing as it sits in the fridge. . Easy peasy and delicious!
Great!
I made this yesterday and it was delicious. I didn’t grill the shrimp because the weather wasn’t great, but I cooked them in a skillet and they were just fine. I substituted zucchini for the cucumber because I dislike them and zucchini worked perfectly. The flavors were excellent.
Just made this and it was wonderful! My four year old daughter, also loved it.
I made this with roasted garbanzo beans. It was awesome. I like the chewy texture of roasting them. Baked at 375 for about half an hour.
So glad to hear!
Looks delicious. However, can’t eat shrimp. Can I substitute the shrimp for something else?
I actually just had the salad without the shrimp and it was great and pretty filling.
Oh MAN this was good! The flavor profile was exotic and refreshing. Totally one of my favorites. I love seafood and especially shellfish – I would love to see more creative and healthy recipes like this one!! Thanks Gina!
Made this one tonight for dinner. So light & delicious! My teenagers loved it also. I will be making this dish often this spring & summer!
I love shrimp and the pictures of this look terrific. However, the pictures also hit one of my big pet peeves. I do NOT want to have to hassle with removing the shell from the tail of the shrimp when it is served to me in a prepared dish (think dirty fingers – not fun) and I do NOT want to waste the shrimp in the tail either. What is the deal with leaving tails on when plating up the food? I can buy (sort of) the argument that leaving the tail on is supposed to add flavor while marinating or cooking, but who thinks it is acceptable to serve me shrimp that I can’t eat without prying out the meat or dirtying my hands to eat my food? This strikes me as a trend that somebody started and now everyone is doing it without thinking through the consequences. Peel and eat shrimp should not be an everyday occurrence regardless of what form the dish is when shrimp is involved. Mostly it strikes me as a big nuisance – and I have started to ask how they are prepared and then request the shells be completely removed in the kitchen when I order shrimp dishes.
No one said you have to leave the tails on, recipe says peeled shrimp so if this is a pet peeve of yours, peel them or buy them pre-peeled.
Sorry – wrote my rant at a bad time. Love your recipes. And, of course, you are right. Thanks for all you post.
Thank you, no worries!
I don’t like chick peas…what would you suggest as a substitute to keep the flavors authentic.
I think white beans would make a good replacement, or if you want just add more cucumbers and tomatoes
This was a hit with the entire family. I mixed it with pearl couscous to make it a more substantial meal for my teen boys. Thanks for another great recipe!
I’m so happy you enjoyed it!
Tried this last night, it was amazing !! So refreshing and simple to make
Wonderful!
Cool to spotlight some North African styles! Looking pretty yummy!
Oh yes! I’m forever searching for lettuce-free salads!
I love lettuce-free salads!