The Summer Salads Sicily Makes With Couscous

Couscous has been part of Italian coastal cooking for centuries — brought through trade routes and Arab influence, it took root especially in the western coast of Sicily, where it's been a staple ever since. These five recipes show what that looks like at the table today: from a 10-minute no-cook bowl to an elaborate version with grilled vegetables, marinated anchovies, and mint oil. All are served cold or at room temperature. All improve after an hour in the fridge.

Mediterranean Couscous is the fastest recipe on this list — boiling water poured over couscous, covered for five minutes, fluffed with a fork, then tossed with cherry tomatoes, mini mozzarella balls, taggiasca olives, capers, pine nuts, and basil. No cooking beyond heating the water. Serve immediately or refrigerate until needed.

Pro tip: toast the pine nuts in a dry pan before adding — it takes two minutes and adds a nutty depth that makes the whole dish more interesting.

Couscous with Vegetables and Tuna sautés the vegetables first — peppers, zucchini, and carrots over medium heat until just tender, then red beans and tuna folded in off the heat. A handful of chopped capers and a squeeze of lemon go in at the end, cutting through the richness of the tuna without overpowering the vegetables. Radishes go in raw for crunch. Serve at room temperature or cold.

Pro tip: the couscous improves with a few hours of rest in the fridge — make it ahead and the flavors meld into something much better than when freshly made.

Summer Couscous is the most complete of the five — saffron-scented couscous tossed with feta, canned tuna, taggiasca olives, chickpeas, sweet-and-sour onion, lemon zest, and basil. The sweet-and-sour onion is made by simmering red onion wedges in a mixture of water, red wine, and sugar, then cooling completely before adding. It's the element that makes this version different.

Pro tip: if you don't have saffron, skip it — the recipe works without it. But if you do use it, dissolve it in a small amount of warm water before adding to the couscous for a more even color.

Summer Couscous with Anchovies and Primosale is the most gourmet version — grilled eggplant, zucchini, and carrots tossed with cherry tomatoes and cubed primosale, finished with marinated anchovies and a homemade mint oil made by blanching mint leaves, then blending them with olive oil and straining. The mint oil is what elevates this from a salad to something worth serving at a dinner table. Primosale is a young, fresh Italian cheese — substitute with ricotta salata or well-drained fresh mozzarella if you can't find it.

Pro tip: make the mint oil the day before and store it in the fridge — the color stays bright green and the flavor intensifies overnight.

Couscous with Zucchini and Shrimp is the most elaborate and most impressive — the couscous is cooked in a homemade shrimp stock built from the shells and heads, scented with saffron and lemon zest. The shrimp are then sautéed with zucchini and garlic, and everything comes together in one bowl. The stock is the key: it gives the grains a depth of flavor that plain water never achieves.

Pro tip: don't skip the stock step — it transforms the couscous from a side dish into the main event.

The Mediterranean version is the one to make when good ingredients are all you have on hand. The shrimp version is the one that looks like it took real effort. The anchovies and mint oil version is the one people ask about after the first bite. Start wherever you are, and work through the rest before summer ends.