Tabbouleh with vegetables, cuttlefish and shrimp

It’s summer and you are feeling like something exotic and carefree. It’s holiday time!
Today we would like to take you on a journey to the flavours of the Middle East. Vegetable tabbouleh is a traditional Lebanese dish that is also widespread in Italy, especially in Sicily where the concept was inherited and then adapted by the locals.

Just like any other traditional recipe, there are lots of versions depending on where it is made. The main ingredient of the original version is bulgur accompanied by raw or grilled vegetables, aromatic herbs and an abundance of turmeric, cumin and cinnamon!

The vegetable tabboulleh recipe we would like to talk to you about today is inspired by the Sicilian version and is made of cous cous enriched by cuttlefish and shrimp. This is a very easy, super-tasty and nourishing recipe that is – nevertheless – light because of the quick cooking method and the small amount of fat used.

This warm cous cous salad is excellent even if prepared in advance and stored in the fridge. It’s a complete and light summer dish that is perfect as a packed lunch for a picnic or to take to the beach.

Tabbouleh with vegetables, cuttlefish and  shrimp – the recipe

INGREDIENTS (for 6)

• 300 g wholemeal cous cous
• ½ yellow ball pepper
• ½ red ball pepper
• ½ red spring onion
• 1 cucumber
• 2 carrots
• 100 g red cherry tomatoes
• 150 g yellow cherry tomatoes
• ½ organic lemon, zest and juice
• 450 g cuttlefish
• 300 g shrimp
• mint, basil, thyme, parsley to taste
• extra virgin olive oil to taste
• salt and black pepper to taste
• fresh ginger and smoked paprika to taste

METHOD

1. Wash the red cherry tomatoes and put them in a blender or a bowl.
2. Add the lemon zest and juice, a small piece of grated ginger, 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, mint, basil, thyme and a pinch of salt.
3. Blend until fine.
4. Clean the ball peppers and the spring onion, chop them into small cubes and put them in a non-stick pan with a drizzle of oil.
5. Add salt and pepper, some paprika and cook at a high temperature for 5 minutes. Do you have any left-over grilled vegetables? Fantastic! You can use them instead of these seared veggies and they will be just as perfect.
6. Wash and peal the carrots and the cucumber and chop these into small cube shapes as well. Chop the yellow cherry tomatoes into small pieces too.
7. Now it’s time to cook the cous cous. Pour it into a large bowl, add 4 tablespoons of oil and massage the oil onto the cous cous so that each grain is covered. Add 250 ml of hot salted water (it doesn’t have to be boiling), cover and leave to rest for 5 minutes.
8. Now use a fork to separate the grains of cous cous from each other.
9. Add the tomato sauce and the cooked and raw vegetables; mix the tabbouleh, cover it and leave the cous cous salad to rest for at least half an hour so that all the flavours can blend to perfection.
10. While you wait, start preparing the fish. Brush the cuttlefish and shrimp with oil, salt, pepper and chopped parsley and grill them on your barbecue griddle. They will be perfect in just a few minutes!
11. When they are ready, add them to your vegetable tabbouleh and your cous cous salad with vegetables, cuttlefish and shrimp will be ready to serve! Enjoy!