Coucous Salad

When I lived in Paris in the 1970s and early ‘80s, couscous was becoming more popular. Beyond the North African restaurants, couscous was appearing in typical French charcuteries, where it was made into salads.

A favorite salad of mine was a Parisian version of tabbouleh. This Lebanese appetizer is traditionally made of bulgur wheat, parsley and tomatoes, but the French introduced it as a salad of couscous. I don’t know how the couscous version got started. Perhaps a chef found that the golden hue of couscous made the salad more attractive. The nouvelle tabbouleh was more delicate than the original but just as delicious. In a short time the recipe spread around the country. After a while, many Frenchmen thought that authentic tabbouleh was made with couscous.

Although couscous looks like a grain, it is actually tiny particles of pasta. Like spaghetti, it is made of durum wheat and water and is equally satisfying.

Couscous is the fastest and easiest pasta to prepare. You might find Moroccan recipes that call for lengthy steaming of couscous. But since packaged couscous is precooked, further cooking is not necessary. It needs only to be moistened with boiling water and to steep about five minutes. Couscous does not require a large amount of boiling water, which is another reason it is much quicker to prepare than other pastas.

I love to enhance couscous salads with small amounts of luxurious types of seafood--crab, lobster or shrimp. If you have smoked, barbecued, baked or poached fish, you can flake it and toss it gently with the couscous. Next, I add vegetables, such as diced tomatoes, cucumbers or fresh or roasted peppers, or occasionally cooked peas or corn.

For flavorings, I take my inspiration from tabbouleh and add fresh herbs such as Italian parsley and mint, green onions, a squeeze of lemon juice and a sprinkling of extra-virgin olive oil. As a garnish, toasted nuts lend a delightful accent.

CRAB WITH COUSCOUS, MINT AND TOASTED PINE NUTS

This recipe is a favorite in my cooking classes. Whenever I demonstrate it, the students say this is the dish they will make the next day. It makes a light, delectable entree or can be served in smaller amounts as an appetizer. If you wish, substitute cooked shrimp or cooked fish for the crab. You can prepare the salad a day ahead and keep it in a covered container in the refrigerator.

1/4 cup pine nuts or slivered almonds

1 cup couscous

1 cup frozen peas

1 1/2 cups boiling water

3 tablespoons strained fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

3/4 pound crab meat, picked over, shell and cartilage discarded

1/4 cup minced fresh mint leaves

Cayenne pepper

Toast pine nuts in toaster oven at 350 degrees about 3 minutes or until lightly browned. Transfer to plate.

Meanwhile, place couscous in saucepan and shake pan to spread couscous in even layer. Top with frozen peas. Pour 1 1/2 cups boiling water evenly over mixture and return just to boil over high heat. Immediately remove from heat. Cover pan tightly and let stand 7 minutes. Transfer mixture to bowl. Fluff with fork. Let cool.

Whisk lemon juice with oil in small bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle dressing over couscous and mix gently with fork. Add crab, mint and cayenne pepper to taste and toss salad gently. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve sprinkled with pine nuts.

Makes 4 servings.