Gordon Ramsay’s couscous salad from Make It Easy pairs cumin-spiced couscous with roasted peppers, garlic and cherry tomatoes, finished with lemon and fresh coriander. It’s the side from his lemon chilli chicken wings, and works just as well on its own. Serves 4 to 6.
His technique is the difference. Instead of covering the couscous and walking away, he forks through the grains every 5 minutes for 20 minutes. Most recipes say “leave for 5 and fluff,” but Ramsay takes four times longer because he wants every grain separated.
He also roasts the peppers and garlic whole, then peels and chops them before folding into the couscous. The roasting concentrates the sweetness, and squeezing soft garlic pulp from the skins gives a mellow flavour that raw garlic never will.
Gordon Ramsay Couscous Salad
Course: SaladCuisine: North AfricanDifficulty: Easy4
servings10
minutes25
minutes280
kcal35
minutesEasy
From Gordon Ramsay’s Make It Easy, served alongside his lemon chilli chicken wings. Fluffy cumin-spiced couscous with roasted peppers, squeezed garlic and fresh coriander. About £6 from Tesco for the whole recipe.
Ingredients
200g couscous
200ml boiling water
1 tsp ground cumin
9 tbsp olive oil, divided
Juice of 1 lemon
2 red peppers, whole
2 green peppers, whole
3 garlic cloves, unpeeled
120g cherry tomatoes, halved
Large handful of fresh coriander, chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
- Roast the peppers and garlic: Heat the oven to 200°C/Gas 6. Toss the whole peppers and unpeeled garlic cloves with 4 tablespoons of olive oil on a baking tray. Roast for 15 to 20 minutes until the pepper skins are scorched and wrinkled. Leave to cool on the tray.
- Hydrate the couscous: Put the couscous in a large bowl and pour over 200ml boiling water. Stir with a fork, then leave to stand for 20 minutes. Fork through the couscous every 5 minutes to make sure the grains separate and stay fluffy. This regular forking is the difference between light, separate grains and a stodgy clump.
- Season the couscous: Sprinkle in the ground cumin and add the remaining olive oil and lemon juice. Fork through again, seasoning well with salt and pepper.
- Prep the peppers: Peel the cooled roasted peppers, tear them open and remove the seeds. Chop the flesh. Squeeze the soft garlic pulp from the skins and mix into the couscous along with the chopped peppers, halved cherry tomatoes and coriander. Taste and adjust the seasoning before serving.
FAQs
Why does Ramsay fork couscous for 20 minutes instead of 5?
Most recipes tell you to cover couscous and leave it for 5 minutes. Ramsay’s Make It Easy method takes 20 minutes with forking every 5. The regular breaking up of grains while they absorb water is what stops them clumping together into a heavy block. It takes more patience but the texture difference is obvious when you try it side by side.
Should I use water or stock?
This Make It Easy recipe uses plain boiling water because the cumin, lemon and roasted peppers add enough flavour on their own. In his Sunday Lunch cookbook, Ramsay hydrates couscous with lamb stock for his herb couscous, which gives it a richer, meatier base. If you’re serving this alongside roast lamb or chicken, swapping the water for hot chicken stock is worth it.
Why squeeze garlic from skins instead of using raw?
Roasting whole garlic cloves in their skins turns them soft and sweet. Raw garlic would be sharp and aggressive in a cold salad. Squeezing the pulp from the papery skins gives the couscous a mellow garlic warmth that spreads through the grains without any harsh bite. It’s the same technique Ramsay uses across dozens of recipes.
How much does this cost to make?
About £6 from Tesco. The peppers are the most expensive part at £2.10, and the couscous itself is barely over a quid. One of the cheapest salads on the site. Prices checked on Trolley.co.uk, May 2026.
What should I serve this with?
Ramsay designed it for his lemon chilli chicken wings, but it works alongside any grilled meat. Try it next to lamb burgers where the cumin in the couscous echoes the spicing in the lamb, or with griddled chicken for a lighter meal. It also keeps well in the fridge for a couple of days, so it makes solid packed lunch material. Browse more packed-lunch salads from his books for weekday options.
