Summer Recipe: Tuna Vegetable Couscous Salad

The warm weather continues. Everyone on the street looks happy and smiley. A lot are out and about after working hours and weekends to take the sun!

I can’t believe that time has flies and we are in July now, I hope you do try out the summer recipes that I have posted so far. Today, we are making Tuna Vegetable Couscous Salad. Sounds good? If you remember, I previously made Bulgur Wheat Salad, which is pretty similar to this one. However, couscous and bulgur are slightly different in texture and size. I like both of them!

Couscous is a coarsely ground semolina wheat. It is very widely used in Middle Eastern countries. Traditional couscous requires considerable preparation time and is usually steamed. Nowadays, you can get quick-cook couscous at the supermarkets. Couscous is most often served with meat, mostly chicken, lamb or mutton, and vegetables.

The quick-cook couscous can be prepared in minutes! To prepare this type of dried couscous, pour boiling water or broth over and then seal the bowl with plastic wrap. After a few minutes, the grain swells and can be fluffed with a fork. When correctly prepared, it has a tender, moist taste and a light, fluffy texture. For me, I still like to stick to the traditional way of steaming, even though it takes slightly longer to prepare.

The ingredients that I have chosen to make my couscous salad are really simple ones. They are canned tuna (I like Tuna in brine), cherry tomatoes, sweet corns, cucumber, black olives, parsley, mint, and feta cheese. And of course, good squeeze of lemon juice! Lemon juice plays a very important role in this dish! It makes it really refreshing and summery like!

Now, totally not related to food. I just want to tell you how much I love Peony. I think Peony is one of my favourite flowers. See how pretty they are!! What is your favourite flower(s)?

Summer Recipe: Tuna Vegetable Couscous Salad

Ingredients:

Couscous, 200g

Water, 1 litre

Cherry tomatoes, 200-250g

Parsley (finely chopped), handful

Mint (finely chopped), handful

Sweet corns, 1 small can

Tuna in brine, 1 can

Cucumber, half

Lemon, 1 or 1.5

Black Olives (chopped and some keep whole), 50g

Feta cheese, 70 ? 80g

Extra Virgin Olive oil, 4 tbsp (or more if needed)

Salt and black pepper, to taste

Method:

1. Boil 1 litre of water in a saucepan and put in couscous and cook it according to the instruction on the packet. Once cook, strain and let it cool.

2. Chop parsley, mint, black olives. Halves cherry tomatoes. Cut cucumber and feta cheese into cubes.

3. In a large bowl, put in the cooked couscous. Mix in cherry tomatoes, black olives, parsley, mint, feta cheese, sweet corns, tuna, and cucumber.

4. Squeeze juice of 1 (or 1.5) lemon and mix with the rest of the ingredients in the bowl.

6. Then, drizzle in about 4 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil. Give it a good mix.

7. Season with salt and black pepper.

8. Garnish with a few black olives.