Easy Mandarin Orange and Pearl Couscous Salad with Greens
Sweet mandarin oranges are the perfect addition to a salad. This easy mandarin orange and pearl couscous salad combines sweet citrus with with fresh green rocket, asparagus and sugar snap peas, finished with a delicious light citrus dressing. It’s a great way to use up extra mandarin oranges and add wonderful colour and flavour to this tasty dish.
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Jump to RecipeMandarin oranges
This recipe is very adaptable. You can use any variety of mandarin oranges you have on hand. I used Honey Murcott mandarin oranges, which are very sweet and have a beautiful colour. However they do tend to have a lot of seeds that need to be removed first. You might prefer to use Imperial mandarins which are easy to peel and have fewer seeds, or any other variety of mandarin that’s in season.
If you don’t have any mandarins, you can also make this recipe with other types of sweet oranges.
Mandarin orange and pearl couscous salad ingredients
This recipe uses 4 mandarin oranges: 3 for the salad (zest and fruit) and 1 for the dressing (zest and juice).
As you’ll be zesting the mandarin orange peel, you’ll need to wash your fruit first. If you are using store bought mandarins, you may needs to remove any citrus wax before using.
Pearl couscous is much bigger than normal couscous, and is also known as Israeli couscous. The large pearls are ideal for this recipe for both texture and because they absorb the flavour of the mandarins from the fresh zest while cooking.
For greens, we’ve used peppery rocket (arugula), fresh asparagus, sugar snap peas and spring onions. Feel free to experiment with other green vegetable you have on hand. Fresh herbs add much of the extra flavour to this dish. We’ve used fresh flat leafed parsley and mint.
Stirring toasted almond slivers through the salad adds extra texture. If you need a nut free option, try toasted pepitas or another nut substitute instead.
For the salad you’ll need:
- 3 mandarin oranges
- 2 cups pearl couscous
- 2 bunches asparagus, trimmed and cut into thirds
- 2 cups sugar snap peas
- 1/2 cup flat leaf parsley
- 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
- 2 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced
- 1 cup baby rocket (arugula)
- 3 Tablespoons toasted almond pieces
- salt and pepper to taste
For the dressing:
- zest of one mandarin orange
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 Tablespoons mandarin orange juice
- 2 Tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- freshly ground pepper to taste
Method
Place pearl couscous in a medium saucepan, add zest of one mandarin orange and 2 and a half cups of boiling water. Simmer over low heat for 10 minutes or until couscous is cooked. All of the water should be absorbed, but drain any remaining liquid. Transfer couscous to a large bowl and set aside to cool. Break up any clumps with a fork.
Rinse and trim asparagus and cut into thirds. Rinse and remove strings from sugar snap peas. Lightly steam the asparagus and peas in a steamer or in the microwave until just cooked. Immediately place steamed vegetables in cold water (to halt cooking and help vegetables retain their bright green colour). Slice cooked sugar snap peas diagonally into strips.
Peel 3 mandarin oranges and break into segments. Remove any seeds and as much of the pithy white membrane as possible. (Note: If using oranges instead of mandarins, you’ll need to cut the oranges into segments with a knife).
Prepare the dressing by adding all of the ingredients in a small jar with a tight fitting lid. Shake jar well to combine.
Add cooked asparagus, sugar snap peas, sliced spring onions, mandarin segments, rocket (arugula), chopped herbs and almonds to the couscous and mix well. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Pour over dressing and stir through.
Transfer salad to your choice of serving dish and garnish with extra mint or parsley sprigs.
Serves 6-8 as a side dish.
Make it a meal
The pearl couscous makes this salad quite a filling dish on its own. For a more substantial meal, add some grilled chicken or haloumi cheese slices. Mandarin orange and pearl couscous salad is also a great side dish to serve with everything from meat or fish to vegan dishes.
Making ahead and storage
This mandarin orange and peal couscous salad is best made and enjoyed the same day due to the fresh rocket/arugula. However any leftovers can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. The couscous will continue to absorb the flavours of the mandarin dressing while refrigerated.
More citrus inspired recipes
If you love citrus in salads, try delicious mandarin orange salad with turmeric dressing or our easy prawn and red grapefruit salad with almonds. You’ll find loads of citrus salads in our orange salad recipe collection and grapefruit salad recipes.
Discover other flavour combinations to use with mandarin oranges with our huge list of more than 60 flavours that go with orange.
You’ll find lots of delicious citrus recipes on our recipes page.
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Easy Mandarin Orange and Pearl Couscous Salad with Greens
Equipment
- 1 medium saucepan
- 1 large bowl
- 1 citrus zester
- 1 citrus juicer
- 1 sharp knife
- measuring cups and spoons
Ingredients
- 3 mandarin oranges
- 2 cups pearl couscous
- 2 bunches asparagus, trimmed and cut into thirds
- 2 cups sugar snap peas
- 1/2 cup flat leaf parlsey
- 1/2 cup mint leaves
- 2 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced
- 1 cup baby rocket (arugula)
- 3 Tablespoons toasted slivered almonds
- salt and ground black pepper to taste
Dressing
- zest of one mandarin orange
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 Tablespoons mandarin orange juice
- 2 Tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place pearl couscous in a medium saucepan, add zest of one mandarin orange and 2 and a half cups of boiling water. Simmer over low heat for 10 minutes or until couscous is cooked. All of the water should be absorbed, but drain any remaining liquid. Transfer couscous to a large bowl and set aside to cool. Break up any clumps with a fork.
- Rinse and trim asparagus and cut into thirds. Rinse and remove strings from sugar snap peas. Lightly steam the asparagus and peas in a steamer or in the microwave until just cooked. Immediately steamed vegetables in cold water (to halt cooking and help vegetables retain their bright green colour). Slice cooked sugar snap peas diagonally into strips.
- Peel 3 mandarin oranges and break into segments. Remove any seeds and as much of the pithy white membrane as possible. (Note: If using oranges instead of mandarins, you'll need to cut the oranges into segments with a knife).
- Prepare the dressing by adding all of the ingredients in a small jar with a tight fitting lid. Shake jar well to combine.
- Add cooked asparagus, sugar snap peas, sliced spring onions, mandarin segments, rocket (arugula), chopped herbs and almonds to the couscous and mix well. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Pour over dressing and stir through.
- Transfer salad to your choice of serving dish and garnish with extra mint or parsley sprigs.
