White Chocolate Grill Couscous Copycat Recipe
If you've ever been to White Chocolate Grill and had their Couscous salad, you have probably been looking for the recipe ever since. The closest you will find is this teaser of a recipe from the WCGCooks.com blog. It's not quite the one you want, but it's a good start. I used that recipe as a base, tried to remember what all was in the deliciousness of what I had at the restaurant, and came up with my own. It's probably not exactly like the one they serve, but it's pretty yummy, and you can always play around with ingredients to see what you like the best. Here is the base recipe (from WCGCooks.com):
Lemon Apricot Couscous with Toasted Almonds
Yield 1 Quart
2 cups Water
2 Tbs Honey
1 Tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tbs Fresh Lemon Juice
¼ tsp Kosher Salt
1 cup Instant Moroccan Couscous
½ cup Minced Dried Apricots
½ cup Toasted Almond Slivers
1 Tbsp Chopped Parsley
Method: 1.Bring the water, honey, olive oil and salt to a rolling boil. 2.Take off the heat and stir in the couscous and apricots, cover and allow to stand for
approx. 5 minutes until the seasoned water has absorbed into the couscous.
3.Fluff with a fork before serving. 4.Place warm couscous on a platter and top with the toasted slivered almonds and chopped
white chocolate grill cous cous
parsley. I change this up depending on what I have on hand. This time, I made the couscous, and added (about a handful of each, chopped):
Parsley
Fresh Mint
Basil
Green Onion
Yellow Pepper
Dried Cranberries
Dried Apricots
Toasted Almonds
Roasted Pistachios
Grape Tomatoes (not pictured - I forgot, and added them later!)
and Feta Cheese
white chocolate grill, cous cous, recipe,
Instead of serving the couscous warm, I rinsed it with cool water, dressed it with olive oil, & lemon juice & a little bit of honey. A splash of balsamic vinegar, and Kosher salt to taste. It's sooo good, and a perfect lighter side dish, goes great with grilled salmon, burgers, or all by itself. And if you are looking for a great recipe for Grilled Salmon, here is my favorite. I comes out great, every time! (Just make sure your grill is well oiled.) From Taku Glacier Lodge in Alaska: Taku Lodge Basted Grilled Salmon (From myrecipes.com)
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup lemon juice
About 1/2 teaspoon salt
About 1/4 teaspoon pepper
8 pieces (about 6 oz. each; max. 1 1/4 in. thick) boned, skinned wild salmon fillet
1/4 cup (1/8 lb.) butter
Lemon wedges
Method Below:
Taku Lodge Grilled Salmon
recipe continued
Preparation 1. In a large, wide bowl or 9- by 13-inch baking dish, stir brown sugar, wine, lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper until sugar is dissolved. 2. Rinse fish and pat dry. Add to marinade and turn to coat. Cover and chill for 1 to 2 hours. 3. Lift salmon from marinade and transfer to a 12- by 17-inch baking pan. Pour marinade into a 1 1/2- to 2-quart pan over medium-high heat; add butter and stir until butter is melted and mixture is simmering, 4 to 5 minutes. 4. Lay salmon, skinned side down, on a generously oiled grill over a solid bed of medium-hot coals or medium-high heat on a gas grill (you can hold your hand at grill level only 3 to 4 seconds). Brush fish generously with the baste; close lid if using a gas grill. Cook until salmon pieces are well browned on the bottom, 3 1/2 to 4 minutes (keep a spray bottle filled with clean water on hand to spritz any flare-ups). With a wide spatula, carefully turn pieces; brush tops with baste and continue to cook, basting often, until the salmon is just opaque but still moist-looking in the center of the thickest part (cut to test), about 5 to 6 minutes longer. Discard any remaining baste. 5. Transfer salmon to a warm platter or plates and garnish with lemon wedges. Add more salt and pepper to taste. I always use wild caught salmon, and just do a whole fillet at once. (pictured with a wasabi-crusted tuna steak). Enjoy!