I have been making this simple and refreshing couscous salad with toasty pistachios, sweet sultanas, lots of green herbs, peppery arugula and a refreshing lemon and oil ‘dressing’ for years now. I believe a former housemate found a recipe like it in a magazine once (can’t really remember which magazine – could’ve easily been on one of those ‘meal suggestion’-cards you can find at the supermarket) years ago during our final year of getting our bachelor’s degree and I’ve been basically making variations on it ever since.
It’s great on its own with some salty, crumbly feta sprinkled on top, but also works amazingly as a side to roast-, or braised chicken (such as this one I’ve posted last week) and flame-grilled barbecue foods.
Not only is it bursting with flavor and has a gorgeous interplay of different shades of green (which always looks amazing next to any type of food), but it takes about the time it takes to boil water + about 15 minutes to prepare. Sound good right?
Green Couscous Salad with Herbs and Pistachios
- V
- VG
- DF
Nutrition per portion
Ingredients
- 200g couscous
- 300ml water
- 60g pistachios, shelled (weight without shells)
- 50g sultanas
- 2 spring onions
- 50g arugula
- 25g flat leaf parsley
- 25g fresh dill
- 10g fresh mint leaves, stalks removed
- 2 - 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 - 2 lemons, juiced
- Salt to taste
Method
- Soak couscous: Boil 300ml water and to a bowl a together with the couscous. Cover bowl with cling film and leave 10 – 15 minutes until the couscous has soaked up the water. Fluff with a fork and leave to cool slightly if it’s still very hot.
- While your couscous is soaking and cooling, soak your sultanas in some cold water and toast your shelled pistachios in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Set aside until ready to use.
- Chop vegetables and herbs: Finely slice and chop the spring onions, arugula, flat leaf parsley, mint leaves and dill. Roughly chop the pistachios.
- Mix chopped vegetables, herbs, toasted pistachios and soaked and drained sultanas with the cooled couscous. To finish, mix in the lemon juice, oil and salt to taste.
