North by Northwest Couscous Salad

North by Northwest Couscous Salad is light and fresh with pearl couscous, fresh apricots, sweet currants and toasty hazelnuts.  The dressing is a subtle lemon and olive oil base and the dish keeps really well for many days worth of happy lunches.

My birthday was this past week and I had the day off. For breakfast we went to our favorite coffee house, but for lunch I was on my own. The day was hot & sunny – which is exactly how I like my birthday to behave. After some careful consideration, I decided on a light and fresh couscous salad topped with my all-time favorite nut – the hazelnut.

Last summer about this time, I was in Seattle for my cousin’s wedding.

Back to the salad…

I spent some time in the airport waiting for my husband’s flight to land (he was at a conference + met me there) which meant I was going to enjoy an airport lunch.

SeaTac did not disappoint. I had a great couscous salad for lunch! I scribbled down notes to recreate it at home, stashed the notes in my stack of papers and a year later FINALLY decided to make it!

So here you have it, North by Northwest Couscous Salad and Happy 1 year Anniversary to Danielle and Brian!

Mix and match seasonal fruit and you can make this salad all year long.

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Couscous Salad

Prep Time

20 mins

Cook Time

10 mins

Total Time

30 mins

 

This versatile salad is a great base for swapping ingredients. Use any nut, use carrot greens instead of parsley or perhaps plums instead of apricots. This salad is your creative palate!

Course: Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: pasta salad

Servings: 4 -6

Calories: 430 kcal

Author: Oat&Sesame

Ingredients

Lemon Dressing

• 1/2 tsp lemon zest
• 2 Tbs fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1/4 tsp Kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Salad

• 3 Tbs olive oil
• 1 cup tricolor couscous
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1 cup fresh apricots chopped (you could use apples, plums, or even dried apricots)
• 1 cup diced carrots
• 1 cup diced celery
• 4 Tbs currants or raisins
• 1 can -15oz garbanzo beans
• 1 cup whole hazelnuts toasted and chopped
• 1/3 cup diced red onion
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley loosely packed

Instructions

Dressing

1. Whisk the lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar, mustard and salt in a small bowl.
2. Slowly add the olive oil, whisking as you go, until emulsified.
   *This can be made ahead of time.
   

Salad

1. Prepare the couscous according to package instructions. (I used Bob's Red Mill - 1 cup couscous, 1.25 cup boiling water, 1/4 tsp salt, 10 minute covered simmer + 4 min off heat, then fluff)
2. Toast and chop the hazelnuts. Approx. 10 min @ 350F.
3. Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl, toss with couscous and dressing. Serve!

Notes

This is a lightly dressed salad. Which means it will transport well and hold in the fridge for an easy to pack lunch. Some may want to double the dressing to give it a stronger punch - I prefer it this way - a light subtle lemony flavor.

Nutrition Facts

Couscous Salad

Amount Per Serving (1 g)

Calories 430

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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