One of the best salads I have ever made!

Recipe from the New York Times. Some changes noted below as I made this for just Susan and I.

Ingredients

Yield: 6 servings

• 1 pound large shrimp (16 to 25), peeled and deveined, tails on or off (I Sauté just 8 large shrimp.)
• Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) and black pepper
• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 lemon, plus more as needed
• 1 cup pearl couscous
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 3 Persian cucumbers, diced (about 2 cups)
• 2 ears corn, kernels cut off of the cob (about 1 cup) (I used three farm fresh and boiled for just a minute or two.)
• ½ cup thinly sliced radishes
• ½ cup crumbled feta cheese (I didn’t use.)
• ¼ cup thinly sliced cilantro leaves and tender stems, plus more for garnishing (I didn’t use as didn’t have any.)
• 1/4 cup diced red onion (My addition.)
• ¼ cup thinly sliced mint leaves, plus more for garnishing

Preparation

1. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper. In a medium skillet over medium-high, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Sauté the shrimp until opaque and just cooked through, about 4 minutes. Transfer the shrimp to a plate and zest half the lemon over top (about ½ teaspoon or to taste), then juice the lemon into a large bowl, sprinkle about one-fourth of the juice over the shrimp and set the bowl with the remaining juice aside.
2. Cook the couscous in a pot of heavily salted water until al dente, according to the package directions. Rinse with cool water and drain well.
3. While the couscous is cooking, make the dressing. In the bowl with the lemon juice, whisk together the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil, the garlic, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
4. Add the cooked couscous to the bowl with the dressing and toss to combine. Add the cucumbers, corn, radishes, feta, cilantro and mint. Toss to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings by adding more salt, pepper and/or lemon juice as needed.
5. Top with shrimp and a sprinkling of cilantro and mint. Enjoy immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 8 hours.

Meanwhile, here is a photo from today looking out my window and a recent watercolor: