I always feel “healthy” for eating a couscous salad. I can’t quite explain it, but I do. I feel that if I had a Halo, I could polish it! Maybe it’s the fresh raw veggies and herbs. Or that we tend to eat it with some grilled Haloumi or crumbled feta, alongside a dish of beans in a tomato sauce, with some toasted pita or flatbreads at the ready. It’s a clean fresh tasting meal.
Each time I make this dish it is slightly different as it varies according to what fresh herbs I can get or have in the garden. It’s also a great dish for sharing with friends and family and can be made several hours in advance. I like the taste a preserved lemon gives to this dish, but if you don’t have any, then use fresh lemon juice instead.
The quantities I’ve given were for 2 of us, with some leftovers for lunch in the week.
Couscous Salad
Ingredients ~
- 150g Couscous
- 1 tbls of chopped toasted almonds or hazelnuts
- 1 preserved Lemon
- 1/2 red onion, peeled and very finely chopped
- 1 red pepper, de-seeded and finely chopped
- 1 small cucumber, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 small courgette, finely chopped
- 2 tbls of chopped flat leaf parsley
- 1 tbls of chopped mint
- approx 2 tbls of olive oil
- Salt and pepper to season
Optional extras ~ chopped coriander, or dill, a chopped garlic clove, a squeeze of lemon juice, chopped cherry tomatoes – get inventive!
Method ~
- I use the ready / easy cook couscous, which in fact takes no actual cooking.
- I put the couscous in a large bowl and add approximately 1/2 litre of boiled water. I then put a lid or a large plate to cover the bowl and leave it for 15 minutes. Take the lid or plate off and fluff up the couscous with a fork. You are aiming to separate out the grains. It takes a few minutes to do this.
- Now start adding all your prepared vegetables and herbs
- Next add the olive oil and lemon juice – you are looking to lightly coat the couscous, not drown it!
- And mix very well, but gently with a fork
- Taste to see if you need some salt, I like some fresh ground black pepper.
Gardening Notes ~
I used some yellow Jemmer courgettes and Napia Pointy Red Peppers.
Mmmmm, that looks lovely.
Been reading your recipe and have a fuinny feeling I may now be having the same thing this evening.
Hi and thanks. Hope you like it 🙂
I love couscous salads! I have one for dinner at least once a week, if not more. I’ve never tried preserved lemon, though, that sounds really interesting.
Hi Gwen, oh you are good eating it at least once a week – polish that halo! I like the preserved lemons, to me they give a more subtle flavour.
I love a good cous cous salad. It holds the flavours really really well. Have you tried bulgur wheat?
Hi there, and a definiet yes to blugur wheat 🙂 I seem to eat it more in winter with root vegies etc, which reminds me I need to stock up!
Putting this on my “eat this-this week” list….off to slow roast more heirloom tomatoes!
slow roasting the tomatoes will definietly give couscous a great flavour, and lucky you to be able to get good heirloom tomatoes (our season is over now……)