Citrus Fruits Martino’s Couscous

For those of us who are working long hours maintaining a balanced diet can be a true challenge. Dietitians always recommend that you take a lunch box at work to avoid eating out or grabbing unhealthy snacks. Inspired by this we bring today a quick and easy Moroccan couscous salad that’s great for a lunchbox especially as a side to grilled chicken.

The Moroccan citrus couscous salad is a blast of flavor. The combination of the mild couscous flavor with the sour citrus juice and a pop of sweetness coming for pomegranate will truly delight you during lunch break! Don’t lose any time grab a pencil and save this recipe if you are looking for a light and healthy lunch that can fit in a box!

Preparation time: less than 30 mins
Cooking time: 10 to 30 mins
Serves: Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 large or 2 small pomegranates
• 200 grams of Martino couscous
• 250ml of boiling chicken stock or water
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 lemon, juice and zest
• 1 orange, juice and zest
• 6 tablespoon of Extra Virgin olive oil
• chopped, fresh mint or coriander

Direction

Prepare the pomegranates:

Cut the pomegranates in half and scoop out the seeds using a teaspoon and remove the white membrane around the seeds.

Hydrate the Couscous

In a large non-stick pan over medium heat pour 250 ml of chicken stock and bring to a simmer. When simmering remove from the heat and pour 200 grams of Martino couscous. Cover with a lid and let the couscous hydrate while it slowly absorbs all the stock.

After 4-5 minutes fluff the couscous with a fork to avoid creating any lumps.

Mix the ingredients:

In a large mixing bowl pour the hydrated couscous and add the lemon and orange juice. Season with Extra Virgin Olive Oil, sea salt and freshly ground pepper.

Stir the chopped herbs and pomegranate seeds into the couscous. Add more olive oil, salt, pepper and herbs to taste.

This light salad can be saved in the fridge for a couple of days. So, you can prepare more if you need to and have it ready to go during the week when the days are busy. Make sure to pack it in your lunch box together with some chicken breast and some fresh fruits.

If you want to serve it with fish, you can replace the chicken broth with fish broth for a seaside taste. Or use vegetable broth if you are going for a vegetarian dish. It is entirely up to you.

Serving tip:

If you have guests and want to delight them with an impressive appetizer you can scoop the pulp of two oranges and use the skins as small baskets to serve the citrus couscous salad! Grate Parmesan Cheese on top and serve it with some white Italian Wine!

In the kitchen, all it matters is to put some love into the cooking. Moroccans and as a matter of fact, all the Mediterranean region are well known for transforming simple ingredients that come from nature to delicious and healthy dishes. All with love and some experimentation. Keep some fresh fruits and vegetables in your kitchen and mix them up with couscous to create great side dishes and salads. And if you need more recipes for the Mediterranean region don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter to get them directly in your inbox.

If you are collecting our couscous recipes you will have noticed that many of them are not only easy to make but possible to store for a couple of days. That is a delight for all of us who want to take a healthy lunch box at work without sacrificing time to prepare many dishes. Enjoy this recipe experiment and let us know in the comments if you enjoyed your lunch box at work.