Tilapia Citrus Couscous Salad

I’m starting to tire of couscous, although I do see its appeal – it cooks super fast! I adapted this recipe from Clean Eating magazine (July/August 2010 issue). I think you could use just about any fish, as the citrus dressing will stand up to strong flavored fish.

FOR PRINTABLE VERSION CLICK HERE: Tilapia Citrus Couscous Salad

1 cup whole grain couscous
1/2 lb tilapia
2 large carrots
1 stalks celery (diced)
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and chopped
1/2 red bell pepper (diced; I omitted this)
1 lime (juice and zest)
1/2 lemon (juice and zest)

Note: I substituted the juice and zest of one orange and the juice of half a grapefruit for the lemon and lime

1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbs olive oil
1 clove garlic (minced)
2 tsp dried parsley (I substituted tarragon since I’m out of dried parsley. I really need to go through my spice cupboard and take stock!)
salt and pepper to taste

1. Add 1 1/4 C of boiling water to the couscous, let sit for 5 minutes covered.

2. Cook the tilapia by placing fillets on a large pre-heated skillet (use cooking spray if not using a nonstick pan); cook for two minutes per side or until done. Let cool for 5 minutes before flaking with a fork. Note: Since I was making this in winter, I lightly sautéed the vegetables and added to the couscous before this step.

3. In a large bowl, combine the couscous and vegetables.

4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the zest and juice, Dijon mustard, olive oil, garlic, and parsley.

5. Combine the dressing and tilapia with the couscous/vegetable mixture.

Servings: 4

The Verdict: This went together really quickly. DH and I decided to keep the tilapia as whole fillets instead of flaking it, but later we realized it would have been better to flake it since the couscous really tasted best when you got a bite of the fish WITH a bite of the couscous. It was a nice light dinner and although I modified it for winter, I think it would be best as a late spring or early summer dish.

Nutrition Facts

(calculated byLiving Cookbook Recipe Management Software)
Serving size: 1/4 of a recipe (9.2 ounces).
Percent daily values based on the Reference Daily Intake (RDI) for a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition information calculated from recipe ingredients.
Amount Per Serving
Calories 321.44
Calories From Fat (15%) 48.82
% Daily Value
Total Fat 5.56g 9%
Saturated Fat 1.11g 6%
Cholesterol 32.32mg 11%
Sodium 108.21mg 5%
Potassium 651.56mg 19%
Total Carbohydrates 47.61g 16%
Fiber 6.26g 25%
Sugar 5.59g
Protein 21.96g 44%

This post shared at Seasonal Sunday, Recipe Roundtable, Mouthwatering Monday