The lemony couscous salad that I repeat all summer long

This couscous salad brings together shiny citrus fruits, fresh herbs, sweet dried fruits, crunchy nuts and hot spices for a deeply tasty but almost effortless accompaniment dish. Inspired by the profiles of flavors in layers found in the North African and Mediterranean kitchens, this dish is based on some well-chosen ingredients, each playing a deliberate role, to create something much more than the sum of its parts. Zest and lemon juice offer strong light; Fresh thyme adds plants based on plants; And turmeric contributes a gentle golden and a golden shade which is also visually attractive as it is aromatic.

The couscous, the dish foundation, is often underestimated – treated as a filling after the fact or bland rather than a vehicle for flavor. But when prepared properly and seasoned, it is anything but boring – it is the ideal base for a salad. I recommend cooking couscous according to my simple and soft couscous recipe, in which the couscous is briefly soaked in cold water instead of boiling water, as most of the methods do. Then it is baked at low temperature until the couscous is completely hydrated and heated. Cooking the couscous spread over a cooking dish guarantees cooking, guaranteeing light, soft and separate couscous grains. Of course, you can follow the couscous instructions for cooking, but I guarantee that it will not be as light as when cooked with my method.

From there, the hot couscous grains are launched with the vinaigrette, a key technique which allows it to enjoy lemon juice, olive oil and aromatics deeply and uniformly. While the salad rests, these flavors continue to deepen and blend. In fact, I found in tests that this salad has an even better taste after an hour or two, and continues to improve in the flavor up to 24 hours, which makes it an intelligent option for gatherings, lunch preparation or weekly efforts with low effort.

The texture plays an essential role. The roasted almonds offer a grilled crunch that stands out against tender couscous. The chopped dried apricots offer a soft and fluffy contrast that makes each bite dynamic. The resulting dish strikes several notes at the same time – sink, tasty, sweet, hazelnut – while remaining balanced.

What also makes this salad a horse of cooking battle is its adaptability. The basic recipe is flexible enough to adapt to many substitutions and additions. You don’t have almonds? Try pistachios, nuts or pines. Do you prefer golden raisins or dates chopped with apricots? Go for it. Fresh thyme can be exchanged with parsley, mint or oregano, depending on what is in your refrigerator. You can also invent the salad with additions such as cooked chickpeas, roasted vegetables or crumbled feta to transform it into a more substantial vegetarian dish. Anyway, the recipe bones hold hard.

Serve it hot or at room temperature. Quick to prepare, to make user-friendly makeup, easy to evolve and packed with a variety of flavors and textures, this dish is just as suitable as a meal-shaping or picnic offering that it is a simple side for roasted chicken or grilled fish.

Cook mode
(Keep the screen awake)