Grilled Corn Couscous
on Jun 03, 2021, Updated May 28, 2024
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This grilled corn couscous is a fantastic summer side dish that shows off the best of corn season. Once the corn is grilled and you simmer the couscous, you stir them together and squeeze in the juice from a grilled lemon. The flavors are fresh and smoky with scallions, crumbled feta and fresh herbs. You can serve this pearl couscous warm, at room temperature or cold as a salad or a side dish.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Corn kernels and pearl couscous make sense together. They are very close in size which means they blend perfectly with each other. You have soft bites of couscous grains, crisp grilled corn and crunchy toasted walnuts.
The couscous has lovely smoky flavor because of the grilled corn and lemon. It still has a nice freshness because of the sliced scallions, chopped parsley and crumbled feta.
You can serve this pearl couscous recipe warm, at room temperature or cold like a salad. It’s very convenient for leftovers and meal prep because it tastes good every way.
The Ingredients
This is what you need:
- Pearl couscous: Also known as Israeli couscous, the plump grains are most similar to a tiny round pasta shape. You can use plain or whole wheat couscous.
- Corn: Five ears of corn may sound like a lot, but it mixes right in with the couscous. This is a generous side that can serve 6. Look for corn that’s tightly wrapped in its husks and has silk on top that’s slightly damp.
- Lemon: Grilling a lemon gives the juice a slightly smoky finish. You also can easily squeeze out every last drop from the warm lemon halves.
- Scallions: For a fresh, crisp oniony flavor, I use scallions. You can substitute with finely chopped red onions.
- Walnuts: Toast the nuts before you toss them in the couscous Put the chopped walnuts on a sheet pan and toast them for 5-7 minutes in a 350-degree F oven. This brings out their flavor. You can substitute with pine nuts or chopped almonds or pecans.
- Feta adds its signature creamy salty accent to this recipe. You can substitute with crumbled goat cheese. If you are vegan, leave out the cheese or use a plant-based, dairy-free substitute.
- Parsley: Taking some inspiration from tabbouleh, I fold in plenty of chopped fresh parsley.
- Olive oil: I rub the corn and lemon with oil to prep them for grilling, and I toast the couscous in oil before simmering it with water.
- Salt and pepper season the overall dish.
How To Make Grilled Corn Couscous
Preheat a gas or charcoal grill on high heat.
1. Grill the corn and lemon. First rub them with a little oil. Then grill the corn until it is lightly charred all over, about 5-7 minutes. Grill the lemon halves for 1-2 minutes, cut side down, until they have grill marks.
2. Slice the corn off the cobs. Wait a few minutes, so they are cool enough to handle.
3. Cook the couscous. Warm oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Toast the couscous for a couple minutes until it is golden. Pour in the water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until the couscous is tender and most of the water has been absorbed, about 10 minutes. Drain any remaining water.
4. Combine the couscous, corn, scallions, walnuts, feta, parsley, salt and pepper. Squeeze in grilled lemons.
5. Stir everything together.
Serving
As mentioned, you can serve this as a vegetarian side dish or a salad. It depends on the serving size and what else you are including in the meal. You can also turn it into a main by adding a protein like grilled chicken or shrimp. For greens, try pairing it with a simple arugula salad with lemon vinaigrette or a classic house salad.
Leftovers & Storage
You can keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge up to 3 days. Reheat the couscous in the microwave if you want to eat leftovers warm. They are great cold too. To make it more like a salad, fold in baby arugula or spinach and a splash of vinaigrette.
Recipe Tips
Do not overcook the couscous. If the grains are tender, and there is still water in the saucepan, just drain it.
Taste the corn couscous before you serve it. Once you stir together all the ingredients, you might want to give it another bit of seasoning with salt and/or pepper.
Let leftovers cool to room temperature before you put them in a storage container. Always do this no matter the recipe.
More Corn Recipes
Grilled Corn Broccoli Salad
Corn Avocado Salad
Fresh Tomato Corn Salad
Mexican Chopped Salad
Roasted Corn Salad
Blueberry Corn Salad
Grilled Corn Couscous
Ingredients
For corn and lemon
- 5 ears corn
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 lemon halved
For couscous
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1-1/2 cups pearl couscous
- 1-3/4 cups water
- 3 scallions, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup chopped toasted walnuts
- 1/4 cup crumbled feta
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat a gas or charcoal grill on high heat.
- Rub the corn with 2 teaspoons olive oil. Grill, turning occasionally, until lightly charred, about 5-7 minutes. Let the corn cool slightly before slicing the kernels off the cobs.
- Grill the lemon halves for 1-2 minutes, cut side down, until they have grill marks.
- For the couscous, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Toast the couscous stirring until it is golden, about 2-3 minutes. Add the water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until the couscous is tender and most of the water has been absorbed, about 10 minutes. Drain any remaining water.
- In a large bowl, combine the couscous and corn. Squeeze the juice from the grilled lemons. Stir in the scallions, walnuts, feta, parsley, salt and pepper.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
SO GOOD! I wasn’t sure about corn and walnuts, but it was great. The recipe was easy to follow, roasting the corn straight from the cob (vs canned corn, blegh) made a big difference AND you end up with a ton of food. This recipe is perfect for those who like to meal prep for the week. Thank you for sharing this recipe and for free I might add!
Looks yummy
Can you use African couscous instead of Israeli for this recipe? Thanks!
I like how the grains of Israeli/pearl couscous are pretty much the same size as the corn kernels, but you can swap it out and use African couscous instead.