French-Style Couscous Salad (Taboulé)
Light, fragrant, and easy to prepare, this French Couscous Salad, also known as Taboulé, is a beloved staple of French summertime cooking. Unlike its Levantine cousin Tabbouleh, this version features fluffy couscous, crisp vegetables, sweet raisins, and a zesty lemon dressing — making it the perfect cold salad for picnics, potlucks, and casual lunches. What is French Couscous Salad (aka French Taboulé)? If you’ve ever browsed the deli section of a French supermarket, chances are you’ve spotted little individual tubs labeled “Taboulé.”: one of the French’s favorite salads on the…
- Prep time
- 30 min
- Cook time
- 6 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- For the couscous:
- 1 ¾ cup chicken-broth (or water with 1/3 tsp salt)
- 1 ½ cup (10oz) Couscous
- 2 tbsp (30ml) extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/3 cup (50g) raisins, not packed
- About 2 cups (500g) diced tomatoes
- ¼ red bell pepper, seeded and diced
- ¼ green bell pepper, seeded and diced
- ½ bunch fresh curly parsley, chopped
- ½ bunch fresh parsley, stemmed and chopped (curly or flat)
- 6-7 sprigs fresh mint, stemmed and chopped
- For the dressing:
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp fresh ground black pepper
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- ¼ tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 3 tbsp (45ml) extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions
- 1
Soak the raisins in a bowl with water – the water should cover all the raisins. Let them soak on the counter for a minimum of 30 minutes.
- 2
Make the Couscous. In a medium pot, bring the chicken stock (or water and salt) to a boil. When the liquid is boiling, stir in the extra virgin olive oil and couscous (the water should barely cover the couscous). Take the pot off the heat and let the couscous steam for exactly 6 minutes (lid-on). After 6 minutes, take the lid off and use a fork to fluff the couscous. Transfer the couscous to a bowl to let it cool down to room temperature.
- 3
When the couscous has cooled to room temperature, add the diced bell peppers, diced tomatoes, chopped parsley and mint, raisins (drained), and stir.
- 4
Add the dressing ingredients: the salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, cumin, lemon juice and EVOO. Stir to combine, cover the bowl with a plastic film and chill for at least 2 hours before serving, as this helps the couscous and raisins to soak up the dressing and for the flavors to meld. This Couscous salad should have a slightly moist, pleasantly “chewy” consistency after the 2 hours.