The cold couscous with salmon and arugula pesto is a fresh and tasty first course, easy and quick to prepare and requires no cooking. Simply couscous seasoned with a quick homemade arugula pesto, and smoked salmon marinated in lemon. Few quality ingredients for a fragrant and tasty summer dish, no cooking because we can rehydrate couscous not only with boiling water but also with cold water! This way we won’t even have to turn on a stove!
The preparation is very simple: prepare the arugula pesto by blending all the ingredients and marinate the salmon with lemon juice. Pour the water and olive oil over the couscous, let it rest covered for 5 minutes, and fluff it with a fork. Season it with the arugula pesto and salmon.
A perfect cold first course to prepare in advance because we can keep it in the fridge until it’s time to enjoy it. Great for summer lunches and dinners, we can also enjoy it outside taking it on a trip, to the beach, or in the lunch box for work. Try it!
Also discover:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Very Cheap
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 4 People
- Cooking methods: No Cooking
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Spring, Summer, Fall
Ingredients to Prepare the Cold Couscous with Salmon and Arugula Pesto
- 9 oz uncooked couscous
- 1 cup water (cold or warm)
- extra virgin olive oil
- 5 oz arugula
- 7 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 3.5 oz grated Parmesan cheese
- 1.75 oz almonds
- 1 clove garlic
- basil
- salt
- 7 oz smoked salmon
- lemon juice
Tools to Prepare the Cold Couscous with Salmon and Arugula Pesto
- 1 Chopper
- 1 Plate
- 1 Bowl
How to Prepare the Cold Couscous with Salmon and Arugula Pesto
First, prepare the cold couscous with salmon and arugula pesto by making the arugula pesto: wash the leaves, dry them, and place them in a chopper with almonds, grated Parmesan, garlic, basil, salt, and oil.
Blend until you get a thick and homogeneous sauce, adding more oil if necessary to reach the right consistency.
Place the salmon on a plate, sprinkle it with lemon juice, and let it marinate for 5-10 minutes.
Prepare the couscous by placing it in a large bowl with water and oil.
Let it rest covered for 5 minutes, then fluff it well with a fork.
Season the couscous with the salmon, the pesto, and mix well, adding more oil.
Leave it in the fridge until it’s time to serve.
Simo and Cicci suggest
You can store the couscous in the fridge tightly closed in an airtight container for 2-3 days.
You can add other ingredients like cherry tomatoes, olives, corn, etc.
Instead of arugula pesto, you can use classic Genovese basil pesto, or zucchini pesto, spinach, tomato pesto.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
What grain is couscous?
Couscous is a product obtained by grinding durum wheat semolina, a grain used for pasta production. The semolina is cooked, dried, and sifted to obtain granules. However, couscous from other grains such as rice, quinoa, corn, or even legumes like chickpeas and lentils can now be found on the market.
