Author Notes
This is one of our favorite summer salads for boat trips and cookouts. It was inspired by a similar cold cous-cous salad that I used to buy freshly made at our local farm stand on Martha's Vineyard. One day they were out of it so I decided to give it a go on my own! I make it ahead of time and bring it aboard in a cooler, or put it in a big bowl on a picnic table. I like that I don't have to worry about it spoiling in the heat because there is no mayo. Incidentally, this is an excellent salad to accompany fish (cooked whole or otherwise!) Or, as you can see above, sometimes we eat it on paper plates with our favorite all-beef hot dogs. —Kelsey Banfield
Ingredients
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10 ounces
plain cous cous
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1 cup
dried cranberries
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1 cup
blue cheese, crumbled
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1/2 cup
scallions, finely chopped
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3/4 cup
pecans, roughly chopped
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1/3 cup
good olive oil
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1/4 cup
red wine vinegar
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1 teaspoon
lemon zest
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Juice of 1 lemon
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Kosher salt to taste (about 2-3 pinches)
Directions
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Prepare cous-cous according to package directions.
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Meanwhile, in a small bowl whisk together olive oil, vinegar, lemon zest and juice. Set aside.
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When cous-cous is ready pour it into a large bowl and fluff with a fork. Add craisins, blue cheese, scallions and pecans. Stir well until completely combined. Finally, add dressing and mix until salad is completely coated. Taste the salad and add 2-3 pinches of salt, or more.
This salad can be served warm, at room temperature or chilled right out of the fridge. To store, it should be covered with plastic and placed in a fridge or cooler.
Home cook, food blogger, cookbook author, wine lover, avid traveler, and mother of two young children. Check out my books: The Naptime Chef: Fitting Great Food into Family Life (2012), and The Family Calendar Cookbook: From Birthdays to Bake Sales, Good Food to Carry You Through the Year (2015), Running Press.
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