This Stone Fruit Summer Couscous Salad is a delicious lunch, BBQ potluck dish, or light dinner to enjoy when it’s warm outside. Juicy stone fruit, couscous with a herb-lime dressing, grilled corn, feta and pistachios make this one incredible bowl.
These salads that throw everything together are some of my favorites!
This summertime stone fruit couscous salad is tossed with a herb and citrus vinaigrette, then topped with peaches, cherries, grilled corn, crumbly feta and chopped pistachios. It’s no secret that I love bowls like this, but WOW. That’s a good one.
See, you can’t go wrong with couscous. It’s chewy and has a wonderful texture, but small enough to be enjoyed cereal bowl style. I love using pearl couscous for the base of this salad, tossing it with some of my favorite cilantro-lime dressing until it’s a vibrant green hue, then tossing in all the summer produce.
Really, anything you can find works!
Bowls of cereal like these—whether they’re big enough to feel a crowd or a smaller portion for dinner tonight—are one of my favorite summertime meals. I make combos like this all the time to complete our dinners, and then we use what’s left over for weekly lunches or even a quick snack.
And one of the reasons I love making a dish like this is that you really don’t have to COOK!
I love making a cereal each week that I keep on hand to simplify weekday meals. It can be quinoa, couscous, farro, or anything orzo. I keep it in a large resealable bag in the fridge, and it gives me a blank slate for a salad like this. Which is perfect when I’m not feeling super creative.
Sometimes we just eat this grain with some butter or olive oil and butter. Other times I use it to make a side out of the fridge. And then occasionally I make kind of a giant seasonal bowl with all sorts of ingredients that we like to enjoy.
Juicy stone fruit, some kind of nut, a sprinkle of cheese, a vinaigrette I have on hand.
It comes together as easily as that.
This cereal bowl can be a nice light little lunch or a side dish to almost anything for dinner. It can be your pasta salad at the BBQ or eaten straight from the fridge as leftovers.
The flavors are so summery – sweet and tangy, tart and savory. Bright and refreshing and also crisp.
What you need for the summer couscous salad:
- Perl Couscous
- Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette – or your favorite dressing
- Ripe peaches, sliced
- Juicy cherries, pitted
- Grilled corn on the cob
- A few fresh herbs like chives and basil
- Crumbly cheeses like feta, goat, or even cotija
All of this combined in one large bowl is simply summer heaven. It can all be thrown in the dressing and will keep in the fridge for about a day – possibly even longer. In fact, it even tastes BETTER after a day in the fridge. As long as your fruit isn’t too ripe, it will be perfect.
This salad + a hot sunny day + some chilled rosé = the dream combination!
Summer couscous salad
Stone Fruit Summer Couscous Salad
This Stone Fruit Summer Couscous Salad is a delicious lunch, BBQ potluck dish, or light dinner to enjoy when it’s warm outside. Juicy stone fruit, couscous with a herb-lime dressing, grilled corn, feta and pistachios make this one incredible bowl.
- 3 cups cooked couscous, 1.5 cups dry
- 2 to 3 corn on the cob
- 2 peaches, thinly sliced
- 1 Cup cherries, cored and sliced
- â…“ Cup crumbled feta cheese
- â…“ Cup chopped roasted pistachios
- 3 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette
- 3 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1 1/2 tablespoon honey
- 1/4 Cup fresh coriander
- 2 Garlic cloves, chopped or pressed
- kosher salt and pepper
- prize crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/3 Cup Extra virgin olive oil
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Prepare couscous according to package directions. You can prepare this ahead of time and keep it in the fridge. If you cook ahead, I like to toss it with a drizzle of olive oil while it cools so it doesn’t stick together. You can also make the cilantro-lime dressing a day ahead and share or whisk together right before the dish.
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Preheat grill to high. Once hot, you can toss the corn on the grill and grill 10, turning them every 3 to 5 minutes. You can even use leftover grilled corn if you have it! Once the corn is grilled, allow it to cool slightly, then slice from the cob.
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Slice your peaches, cherries and chop some fresh herbs.
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Drizzle a few tablespoons (3 to 4) of the dressing over the couscous and toss well. Garnish the couscous with peaches, cherries, corn, feta, pistachios and fresh herbs. Drizzle with a little more dressing and toss.
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Taste and season the couscous with a little salt and pepper if needed. Serve with as much dressing as you like! This keeps great in the fridge for a few days – as long as your fruit isn’t overripe!
Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette
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In a blender or food processor, combine lime juice, honey, garlic, cilantro, a large pinch of salt and pepper, pepper flakes, and olive oil. Mix until combined and smooth (a few cilantro bits may remain). Leftovers keep great in the fridge for a few days! Store it in a sealed container.
Well that’s summer in a bowl.