| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 30 min |
| Prep: | 15 min |
| Inactive: | 5 min |
| Cook: | 10 min |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 30 min |
| Prep: | 15 min |
| Inactive: | 5 min |
| Cook: | 10 min |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- Kosher salt
- 1 cup couscous
- 1/4 cup finely chopped pistachios nuts
- 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- Freshly cracked black pepper
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, salt 1 1/4 cups water and bring to a boil. Whisk in the couscous. Turn off the heat, cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Transfer the cooked couscous to a bowl and mix in the nuts, parsley and egg. Season with salt and pepper. With damp hands, form the couscous into 4 patties, about 1-inch thick (about the same thickness of your first thumb joint).
- Heat the oil in a 12-inch nonstick pan over moderate heat until hot but not smoking. Carefully place the couscous cakes in the pan and cook until golden, turning once, about 5 minutes per side. Remove from the heat and serve.
- BYOC: The thing I love about making cakes is I can really throw anything in there. Sticking with the Middle Eastern theme, dates would add a nice texture to these. Plus, you can break up leftovers in a pan for an alternative to fried rice. You can throw any herb in here – basil, thyme or oregano.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 4 servings |
| Calories | 333 |
| Total Fat | 16 g |
| Saturated Fat | 3 g |
| Carbohydrates | 36 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 3 g |
| Sugar | 1 g |
| Protein | 10 g |
| Cholesterol | 93 mg |
| Sodium | 209 mg |
| Serving Size | 1 of 4 servings |
| Calories | 333 |
| Total Fat | 16 g |
| Saturated Fat | 3 g |
| Carbohydrates | 36 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 3 g |
| Sugar | 1 g |
| Protein | 10 g |
| Cholesterol | 93 mg |
| Sodium | 209 mg |
Reviews
Finally a cous cous recipe that wisely doesn’t ask you to use sodium laden nasty chicken broth (IF you want to use broth, always use veggie broth!) However, yes, mixture has to cool first! The pistachios are a gem!
This is a great “basic” recipe – Add other items to Couscous water – I added cooked ground sausage, onions, green peppers, garlic and I did use one of the flavored coucscous – Also a must, as noted, is to let the couscous cool all the way, place in the fridge for about 1-2 hours – then fry
I’ve made these several times with different ingredients and they always taste great
We would rate these cakes higher, but they fell apart before getting them into the pan.
Next time we will use the great advice given by HPMSU and we will use chicken broth or other flavored liquid to increase the flavor.
Agree with other users on the taste – you must use a FLAVORED couscous as well as chicken broth instead of water.
The secret to making perfect “cakes” is forming them in Ramekin dishes. Pack the couscous in tight, run a thin knife around the edges, then quickly turn the ramekin dish over. They should fall right out in perfectly formed patties. Use a spatula to gently place them into the pan.
If you want these to hold together, make sure the couscous mixture has plenty of cooling/chilling time in the fridge. Then go ahead and fry up a very bland-tasting cake.
I followed this recipe verbatim and they turned out really well. Great texture with a nice, subtle flavor palette that allowed the pistachios to come through. I wouldn’t want to change too much, as I wouldn’t want to over power the nuts and parsley. A great alternative to your traditional starch side!
Not as much flavor as I thought they would have and I used chicken stock to make the couscous. They also fell apart easily despite by best efforts to keep them together. If I make these again I would definitely add dates, golden raisins or something else to add some sweetness.
The spices were not as vibrate as I like. It was just ok.
This is a super recipe. I simply used a box of Curry Couscous prepared with chicken stock and golden raisins. Added the two beaten eggs and fried. They were very good. I am looking forward to using this preparation with other flavors of couscous. This is a winner!
I just started watching this show and was totally hooked! These couscous cakes were tasty and super easy!! Wetting the hands really helped to not stick to my hands. I added dried cranberries to it and my family thought it was really good! I LOVE how easy Claire’s recipes are! She’s my new fave chef!