A zesty and fresh, chilled couscous salad with avocado, snap peas, feta, and fresh herbs. Serve it as a side dish to grilled meat or fish or all on its own as a healthy and hearty lunch!
One thing I love about this salad, in particular, is that it’s infinitely adaptable! Any fresh herbs will work; for instance, dill, basil, cilantro, or mint. In lieu of snap peas, you could use quickly blanched asparagus or green beans as a substitute. Don’t care for feta? Use crumbled goat cheese instead! Please feel inspired to adapt and adjust this recipe to your liking.
Serve this tasty spring salad alongside Grilled Lamb Chops with Herb Salad or Blackened Shrimp with Garlic-Lime Aioli.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here’s what you’ll need to make this Spring Couscous Salad: Pearl or Israeli Couscous, snap peas, avocado, watercress, cucumber, green onion, parsley, feta cheese, lemon, and olive oil.
Recipe Steps:
Step 1. Cook the Couscous
Cook the couscous just as you would pasta, in a pot of salted boiling water. Drain and cool.
Step 2. Assemble the Salad
Toss the couscous with the rest of the salad ingredients, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary. Serve immediately!
FAQs and Expert Tips:
Despite a popular misconception that couscous is a type of grain, it is actually a type of pasta made of semolina and flour that is moistened and tossed together until it forms little balls.
For this type of salad Israeli couscous can be cooked like pasta. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, drop in the dried couscous, then simmer for 8-10 minutes until al dente. Drain and toss with a little olive oil to keep from sticking.
Moroccan couscous is made up of teeny-tiny grains of semolina and flour. This type of couscous cooks very quickly in about 3-5 minutes.
Israeli or “pearl” couscous is also made of semolina and flour, but the granules are much larger, about the size of peppercorns. Israeli couscous has a hearty, chewy, texture that makes it perfect for tossing with veggies, herbs, and zesty vinaigrettes!
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Spring Couscous Salad with Feta, Avocado & Herbs
Ingredients
- 1 c Israeli (pearl) couscous
- 1 ripe avocado diced
- 1 heaping cup sugar snap peas stems and strings removed, roughly chopped
- 1 medium cucumber diced
- 4 oz feta cheese crumbled
- 1 small bunch watercress thin stems and leaves only
- 4 scallions thinly sliced
- 1/2 bunch flat leaf parsley roughly chopped
- 1/4 c olive oil
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Drop in the dried couscous. Turn the heat down to a simmer and cook for 8-10 minutes until al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water to cool down the couscous. Drizzle with a little olive oil to keep from sticking.
- Place all of the chopped veggies, herbs, feta and couscous in a large mixing bowl. Next, drizzle in the olive, and lemon juice. Gently toss everything together until evenly combined. Season with salt and freshly cracked lack pepper, divide between bowls and serve.
Notes
- Couscous: orzo
- Feta Cheese: goat cheese
- Snap Peas: snow peas or blanched green beans
- Parsely: any fresh green herb; cilantro, dill, basil, or mint
FAQS:
- What is Israeli or “pearl” couscous? Israeli couscous aka pearl couscous is made of semolina and flour, but the granules are much larger, about the size of peppercorns. Israeli couscous has a hearty, chewy, texture that makes it perfect for tossing with veggies, herbs, and zesty vinaigrettes!
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days.
This is a perfect side for any spring meal, a base for a grain bowl or side grain/salad. One of those recipes that can be easily adjusted based on what herbs or greens are in your fridge at any moment (although sticking with the recipe is probably the most delicious route). Super easy and quick to whip up just before a meal.