I stole this recipe for Israeli Couscous & Tuna Salad from Ina Garten at Foodnetwork.com. Using couscous in this cold salad is a twist on a typical pasta salad. Canned Italian tuna is mixed with lemon zest & juice, capers, black olives, garlic and seasonings. Then cooked couscous is added and set aside to let flavors combine. Before serving, scallions, basil, lemon juice and salt are added into the salad. This salad is bright and refreshing, a great summer lunch or dinner meal.
Did you know? Couscous is a granular semolina, when cooked it is often served on a platter with meats and vegetables placed on top. Packaged precooked couscous is available in Middle Eastern markets and large supermarkets.¹ (see more trivia in the Trivia tab)
Boil 4 cups of water, add 2 cups Israeli couscous and reduce to very low heat.
Cover and simmer 12 to 15 minutes, until just tender. Drain in colander if needed.
Combine 2 (7 oz) cans drained Italian tuna, 2 tsp grated lemon zest, ¼ cup lemon juice, ½ cup olive oil, 3 tbsp drained capers, ½ cup chopped black olives, ½ cup diced tomatoes, 2 tsp minced garlic, 1 tsp salt and 1 ½ tsp black pepper.
Pour in hot couscous and stir to combine. Cover and set aside for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Chopped artichokes also make a nice addition.
Before serving, stir in 1 cup chopped scallions, ¼ cup julienned basil, juice of ½ of a lemon and 1 tsp salt.
Serve warm or room temperature.
Israeli Couscous & Tuna Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cups Israeli couscous 10-12 oz
- 2 cans (7 oz) Italian tuna, drained and flaked
- 2 tsp grated lemon zest 2 lemons
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- ½ cup olive oil
- 3 tbsp capers drained
- ½ cup pitted & oil cured black olives, chopped
- ½ cup red peppers roasted
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- Salt / pepper
- 1 cup chopped scallions 6-8 each
- ¼ cup julienned basil
- Juice of ½ of a lemon
Instructions
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Boil 4 cups of water, add couscous and reduce to very low heat. Cover and simmer 12 to 15 minutes, until just tender. Drain in colander if needed.
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Combine tuna, lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, capers, olives, peppers, garlic, 1 tsp salt and 1 ½ tsp black pepper.
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Pour in hot couscous and stir to combine. Cover and set aside for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
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Before serving, stir in scallions, basil, juice of ½ of a lemon and 1 tsp salt. Serve warm or room temperature.
Recipe Notes
I substitute tomatoes for the red peppers and I use a can of water packed not oil packed black olives. Chopped artichokes also make a nice addition. You can use fewer scallions, I only used ½ cup scallions, because I was worried that using a full cup would be too strong.