Pearl cous cous salad with golden halloumi, zucchini and almonds
This quick, easy salad uses everyday staples for a wonderfully fresh, hearty and satisfying midweek meal.
Looking for a meal that delivers maximum flavour with minimum fuss? This salad is quick, easy, and satisfying – perfect for a busy midweek lunch or a simple family dinner. It requires no fancy ingredients, relying instead on a handful of everyday staples to create something that feels wonderfully fresh, hearty, and substantial.
Ingredients
1 vegetable stock cube or 1 tsp vegetable stock powder
2-3 cups water
1 cup (about 160g) pearl cous cous
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp rice malt syrup
180g halloumi cheese, sliced into batons
2 large green zucchini
200g cherry tomatoes, halved
½ cup (about 30g) finely chopped parsley leaves
½ cup (about 30g) finely chopped mint leaves
½ cup (about 70g) toasted almonds, roughly chopped
lemon wedges, to serve
LEMON-MUSTARD DRESSING
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
juice of ½ lemon
1 tsp Dijon mustard
sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste
Method
Step 1
Bring the water and stock cube to a boil in a medium saucepan. Stir in the pearl cous cous, reduce the heat to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook for 10 minutes, until the cous cous is cooked through but still firm, and the liquid has been absorbed. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Step 2
Meanwhile, combine the olive oil and rice malt syrup in a small bowl. Add the halloumi and toss to coat. Heat a small frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the halloumi, reserving the leftover marinade in the bowl, and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side until deeply golden. Pour the reserved marinade over the halloumi, cook for 30 seconds to caramelise, and immediately remove from the heat.
Step 3
To make the lemon-mustard dressing, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, sea salt and cracked black pepper in a small bowl until emulsified. Set aside.
Step 4
Grate the zucchini and squeeze out the excess liquid with your hands, or wrap it in a clean tea towel and wring out as much liquid as possible.
Step 5
Put the cous cous in a medium bowl and gently fluff with a fork. Add the zucchini, tomatoes, parsley, mint, and almonds. Drizzle the lemon-mustard dressing over the salad, tossing gently until everything is combined. Transfer the salad to a serving platter or individual bowls, top with the warm golden halloumi, and serve immediately with lemon wedges.
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Sarah Pound is a nutritionist, author of the cookbook 'Wholesome by Sarah', and a recipe columnist for Good Food.
