Scrambled Eggs, Cheese, and Avocado Tortilla Bowl Recipe
September 16, 2025
Broccoli Pearl Crunch Salad Recipe
Also referred to as Chopped Broccoli Salad with Pearl Couscous and Nutty Salami Fry-Up with Pink Wine Honey Vinegar Dressing. Thought that was a bit prolonged so I christened it Broccoli Pearl Crunch Salad as an alternative. 🙂 Dig in with a spoon!!
Introducing the Broccoli Pearl Crunch Salad!
I discover it’s usually a stretch to get folks excited a couple of broccoli salad – particularly while you inform folks it’s uncooked.
However this isn’t your standard broccoli salad.
Firstly, the broccoli is chopped up into little small items (oddly satisfying to do, as a result of when do you ever chop broccoli such as you do herbs?!) then marinated within the dressing so it’s flavour-soaked-tender-crisp broccoli (fan!) slightly than grassy-fibrous-raw (not a fan).
Secondly, to dial up the curiosity issue, we do not make your common mayo-laden broccoli salad. This has a contemporary zingy French dressing and loaded with extras that sound like a random mash up however truly works so properly collectively – fried up salami, almonds, dried cranberries, crimson onion, garlic and parmesan. So that you get nutty-salty-oily-sweet-tart-savory-garlicky goodness in an enormous spoonable salad.
It’s severely good!
PS The shrivelled up chewy dried cranberries are plumped simply by throwing them into the couscous boiling water for 30 seconds. When you’ve plumped, you’ll by no means return!
Substances in Broccoli Pearl Crunch Salad
Right here’s what it’s essential make this. Price noting that the dressing does triple responsibility right here: marinating the broccoli (takes exhausting uncooked edge off plus provides flavour), flavour soaking the couscous and the conventional job of dressing the salad!
1. THE SALAD PART
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Broccoli – You’ll want 1 1/2 medium heads or 2 small heads to make up 4 cups of small chopped broccoli required on this salad. I take advantage of the florets and floret stems, although in the event you’re quick you need to use the thick broccoli stem too (peel and cube small).
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Pearl couscous – The opposite star ingredient in at this time’s salad! It’s the bigger type of the extra frequent tiny couscous, often known as connoisseur and Israeli couscous. When cooked, they’re like slippery little pearls of pasta – therefore the title!
Substitute with risoni/orzo or every other tiny pasta about that dimension, or 2 1/4 cups cooked rice (any) or quinoa, farro, barley and many others.
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Pink wine vinegar – That is to tenderise the broccoli to take the exhausting uncooked edge off it a bit. We additionally use a few of the Dressing however that alone isn’t sufficient, vinegar is what softens the broccoli. Assume – ceviche, and the way uncooked fish is “cooked” with lime juice. That’s primarily what we’re doing right here.
Substitute – white wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, sherry vinegar.
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Dried cranberries – I like utilizing cranberries in salads as a result of they’re candy but in addition tart, whereas most different dried fruits are simply candy. I additionally just like the crimson color they add to salads. Nevertheless, every other dried cranberry-shaped fruit will work advantageous on this recipe – sultanas, currents and many others.
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Almonds – I truly did apply thought to nut alternative (I do know, stunning!😅) and selected almonds due to the neat form so you may see them a bit higher than, say, pistachios which might get misplaced within the jumble. Having stated that, you can actually use your favorite nut you assume will work with these flavours – pistachios and pecans spring to thoughts, and sunflower seeds or pepitas for a nut free choice.
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Salami – For salty, oily pops. Partly as a result of that’s what I had (as an alternative of the standard bacon choice). And in addition partly as a result of the spiced meaty oily flavour provides a stack of additional flavour into this salad! Bacon will work however I’d in all probability prepare dinner it then take away earlier than cooking the almonds and onions else the bacon flavour could also be just a little too dominant within the total dish.
For a meat-free choice, I truly assume small cubes of cheddar cheese might serve an identical function, and even additional feta. Or simply go away the salami out for a lighter side-salad choice.
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Pink onion and garlic – For fragrant freshness, pan fried within the salami oil.
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Parmesan – To sprinkle on, for serving. Substitute with crumbled feta.
2. DRESSING
This dressing has a a lot larger 2:3 vinegar to grease ratio than common Western dressings so the salad gained’t weigh you down with a very greasy dressing, plus the dish will get fats from the salami. A smidge of honey takes the sharp edge off and a dab of Dijon helps it thicken.
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Pink wine vinegar – Much less harsh than common white vinegar with additional flavour layers from the wine. See above underneath Salad for options.
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Honey – Substitute with maple syrup or sugar.
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Dijon Mustard – Helps thicken so it clings higher, plus flavour.
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Additional virgin olive oil – I get away the great things for salad dressings. 🙂
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Garlic – Mince it utilizing a garlic press or grate.
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Lemon – We solely use the zest for a contact of pretty brightness on this salad. Not crucial, it’s a pleasant to have.
Tips on how to make Broccoli Pearl Crunch Salad
The salad dressing right here serves a triple function. We marinate the broccoli in it – simply half-hour softens it barely and takes the uncooked crunchy-edge off it (as famous above, not a fan!). And we additionally toss the pearl couscous within the Dressing whereas it’s scorching so it absorbs the flavour – normal working process with pasta salads in my world!
And lastly, we use the dressing for the common function – for dressing this salad!
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Shake the Dressing in a jar.
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Chop the broccoli into small items, sufficiently small so you may scoop a couple of up in a spoon. Chop the floret stems just a little smaller (so that you don’t get large chunks of firmer stem).
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Marinate broccoli – Toss the broccoli with salt, crimson wine vinegar and a pair of tablespoons of the Dressing. I add just a little additional vinegar as a result of it’s stronger at softening uncooked broccoli than the oil-based dressing alone.
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Couscous and plumped cranberries – Convey a saucepan of water to the boil. Boil couscous for five minutes or till al dente, including the dried cranberries for the final 30 seconds – they may plump up in a short time.
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Flavour soak couscous – Drain properly then return the recent couscous into the saucepan and toss with some Dressing. Depart apart for 10 minutes so it absorbs the flavour.
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Salami fry up – In a non stick pan, give the salami a 90 second head begin then add the almonds and onion. Prepare dinner for a few minutes to toast the almonds (brings out the flavour) and soften the onion, then add garlic and prepare dinner for an additional 1 minute. Add to the broccoli bowl and funky for 10 minutes.
Word: The salami gained’t go crispy, due to all the opposite stuff within the pan. I do know crispy salami is interesting however I promise you gained’t miss it right here, the broccoli and almonds present loads of crunchy texture.
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Toss! Add the couscous and all of the dressing into the bowl, then toss properly.
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Serve – Both divide between bowls or tumble into a big serving bowl. Garnish with grated parmesan then serve!
I do discover it oddly satisfying that this may be eaten with a spoon slightly than stabbing items of florets with a fork. It’s not the primary time I’ve shared how a lot spoon-eating salads attraction to me and possibly gained’t be the final!
Serve this as a meal – it’s hearty sufficient – or a hearty aspect salad. Yesterday I made salmon bowls with this broccoli salad topped with salmon (pan seared with simply salt and pepper) damaged into large chunks, a sunny aspect up egg and completed with some selfmade chilli crisp. Sure, we’re engaged on our personal selfmade chilli crisp recipe (after I say “we”, I’m loosely together with myself right here, the legwork is being executed by RTM Chef Hannah who comes from an extended line of Chinese language cooks!).
However, again to at this time’s recipe……😂Hope you take pleasure in! – Johnsat x
Watch how you can make it
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 medium heads broccoli (4 cups chopped small, spoon-eating size)(Note 1)
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar (Note 2)
- 1/4 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
- 1 cup pearl couscous (Note 3)
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 100g/ 3 oz salami , chopped into 1×1.25cm pieces (0.2 x 1/2"), or bacon (Note 4)
- 1/3 cup almonds , unsalted, natural (or roasted), chopped into big pieces (Note 5)
- 1 red onion , halved, finely sliced
- 2 garlic cloves , finely minced
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar (Note 2)
- 1 tbsp honey (sub maple, or 2 tsp sugar)
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 1 garlic clove , finely minced
- 1 tsp lemon zest , optional
- 1/4 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 cup+ parmesan , finely grated (crumbled feta also lovely)
Instructions
- Dressing – Shake ingredients in a jar.
- Chop broccoli into small pieces – think, spoon scoop-able size. I slice wads of florets into ~1/2cm / 0.2" thick slices, spread out on the board then run the knife through, chopping like you would herbs until you have small pieces no bigger than 1.5cm / 0.6" long, suitable for scooping. Try to make the floret stem parts a bit smaller. (Note 1)
- Marinated tender-crisp broccoli – Measure out 4 cups of broccoli and put in a bowl. Scrape in all the scattered little floret "confetti"! Toss with the vinegar, 1/4 tsp salt and 2 tablespoons of the Dressing. Leave for 30 minutes – softens slightly and takes the raw edge off.
- Couscous and cranberries – Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Cook the couscous for 5 minutes, adding cranberries for last 30 seconds (they plump!). Drain well, then return to saucepan. Toss with 2 tablespoons of Dressing (while hot), then set aside for 10 minutes to cool and absorb flavour.
- Nutty Salami Fry up – Heat the olive oil over medium high in a large non-stick pan. Add the salami and cook for about 1 1/2 minutes to give them a head start. Then add the almonds and onion, cook for 2 minutes, then add garlic and cook for another 1 minute until the salami is golden (it won't crisp though – Note 7) and the onion is softened. Tip it on top of the broccoli, let cool for 10 minutes.
- Toss – Add couscous, all the remaining Dressing and toss well. Tumble into a serving bowl, sprinkle with parmesan then serve!
Notes
1. Broccoli chopping – Video is helpful! If using the thick broccoli stem, peel the tough outer layer, cut into batons then small pieces.
Be sure to use all the “confetti” broccoli floret bits that normally annoy me cause they fly all over the kitchen, but in today’s recipe I love how the little green bits look in the salad. They will, however, still get stuck in your teeth. 😅
2. Vinegar substitutes – white wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, sherry vinegar.
3. Pearl couscous – also known as Israeli Couscous or Gourmet Couscous, the giant form of the more common tiny couscous. In Australia, you will find it in the pasta aisle of Woolworths and Coles next to ordinary tiny couscous, and it costs around the same.
Substitute with the same amount of tiny pasta (like risoni/ozo, tiny stars), or 2 1/4 cups cooked rice, barley, quinoa, farro, lentils etc.
4. Salami – You could use small cubed pieces of cheese or feta instead, though if you want to make it a lighter side salad type, then you can omit it altogether.
Note: The salami doesn’t crisp up because it’s jumbled with onions, but you won’t miss the crisp, this salad has loads of crunch from the broccoli and the almonds.
5. Nut alternatives – pistachios, pecans, sunflower seeds, pepitas
Keeps for 3 days, even dressed.
Nutrition per serving, assuming 5 servings.
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