Cold Mediterranean couscous

Fri, 21 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Set the amount of ingredients you want to use with one of the two options below:

you can pick the number of servings with x1, x2, x3 and so on. Servings are indicative, adjust them to your preference.
you can set the amount of Medium couscous you want to use. For example, if you want to use 340 grams, type 340 in the box below.

Quantity

Medium couscous (min g, max g): g

1. Ingredients

Ingredient	Quantity
Medium couscous	320 g
Tuna in extra-virgin olive oil (good quality)	320 g
Cherry tomatoes	300 g
Medium cucumber	200 g (1 cucumber)
Taggiasca olives	80 g
Capers in salt (rinsed)	2 tbsp
Fresh spring onions	30 g (2 spring onions)
Fresh basil	to taste
Fresh oregano (or dried)	4 g
Lemon (juice; zest optional)	40 ml (1 lemon)
Extra-virgin olive oil (for dressing)	40 g
Extra-virgin olive oil (for couscous and finishing)	to taste
Water (or light vegetable stock)	380 ml
Salt, black pepper	to taste

Bring 380 ml water to the boil with a pinch of salt. Pour it over the 320 g couscous with a drizzle of oil, stir briefly, cover with a plate or lid and let it rest for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and let it cool completely.
Cut the 300 g cherry tomatoes into quarters, dice the 200 g cucumber into small cubes and slice the 30 g spring onions into thin rounds. Place everything in a large bowl.
Rinse the 2 tbsp capers under running water to remove excess salt. Drain the 320 g tuna, reserving a little of its oil. Pit the 80 g Taggiasca olives if necessary.
In a large bowl, combine the cold couscous with the vegetables, the tuna broken into large chunks, olives and capers. Dress with 40 g extra-virgin olive oil, the juice of the lemon (40 ml), the oregano (4 g), salt and freshly ground black pepper. Toss gently.
Cover the bowl with a plate or lid and let it rest in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes. This step allows the flavours to meld together.
Serve garnished with fresh basil leaves torn by hand and a drizzle of oil. Keeps in the fridge, covered, until the next day; adjust oil and lemon before serving.

Room temperature: consume within 2 hours of preparation due to the presence of tuna; beyond this time, bacterial growth becomes a real risk, especially in summer.
Refrigerator: keeps covered for up to 24 hours; the flavours meld further and the dish actually improves after a few hours of rest. Adjust oil and lemon before serving.
Freezer: not recommended. The couscous turns gummy upon thawing and the raw vegetables (cherry tomatoes, cucumber, spring onion) lose all crunch, releasing water and becoming soggy.

🌾 Want to explore couscous flavour bases further? Read the full guide.