Cilantro & Lime Couscous is a fresh side dish made with zucchini, tomatoes, onions, cilantro and garlic. Perfect for the hot summer days, or to serve with anything.
Served cold, this Cilantro lime Couscous salad is a great summer side dish. A great side kicks to any seafood, quiche or even on its own, a light main dish lunch. Plus, it’s a “done under 15 minutes” recipe and tastes fantastic, although the longest you let it in the fridge… the better the flavours will become. Usually, I do the couscous last second but I always make too much. This way I get some tasty leftovers for lunch the next day. This is one of those meals that gets better over time.
Tabbouleh Little Cousin
This tabbouleh cousin doesn’t use parsley but cilantro. Also, I’ve added a touch of lime because cilantro without lime… it’s like a burger without its bun. I’ve also exchanged the usual cucumber for some zucchini which is firmer and less watery. It brings a little crunch to the salad.
Bulgur or couscous?
For this recipe, both are great, you can use whether couscous or fine bulgur. They are quite similar in taste and texture but bulgur is a tad healthier. It contains four times the fibres of couscous and is lower in calories and carbohydrates.
Alternatives
I know… I know… cilantro is not for everyone. There are many cilantro haters out there… but good news! Fresh basil works perfectly too! Furthermore, if you don’t dig the raw zucchini simply replace them with cucumber! Then a bit of feta and you get yourself a Greek couscous salad. That sounds like my next experiment… Yum!
Storage
You can keep the couscous salad for up to 4 days in the fridge without a problem.
To Serve it with
Cilantro & Lime Couscous
Ingredients
- 200 g couscous (or bulgur)
- 1/2 zucchini (cut into small cubes)
- 2 tomatoes (cut into small cubes)
- 2 hands cilantro leaves (chopped finely)
- 1 garlic clove (chopped finely)
- 5 tbsp olive oil (extra virgin)
- salt and pepper
- 2 limes (it's juice)
Instructions
- Add the couscous or bulgur to a bowl, add salt, 1 tbsp of olive oil and boiling water to top it (1 cm over).
- When ready, add all the olive oil left, lime juice and mix well until the couscous is separated.
- Add all the rest of the ingredients.
Notes
Nutrition
Enjoy!
