Tuna Couscous Bowl
Thirty-two grams of protein, no stove, ready in fifteen minutes.
- calories
- 640
- weight
- 5.2 oz
- cal / oz
- 123
- protein
- 32 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 3 min
- cook
- 0 min
- total time
- 3 min
- water
- 300 ml cold
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Lunch
- Dinner
- Cold soak
- Canister stove
- Backpacking
- Canoe / raft
- Bikepacking
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- Eat in the bag
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Dump and stir
Ingredients
| Couscous | 2/3 cup | |
|---|---|---|
| Foil packet tuna | 1 packet | packets, not cans, always |
| Dried bell pepper and onion flakes | 3 tbsp | |
| Olive oil | 1 tbsp | |
| Lemon pepper, dill, salt | 1 tsp total | |
| Hot sauce packets | 2 | collected from various gas stations |
Method
- Pour 300 ml of cold water over the couscous and dried vegetables. Seal.
- Wait 15 minutes. Hot water cuts this to five if you have a stove lit anyway.
- Fork in the tuna, oil, and seasoning.
- Hot sauce is doing more work here than any single other ingredient.
Protein is the thing backcountry food is usually worst at. Most dehydrated dinners are a wall of carbohydrate, and after four days of that you feel it. A foil tuna packet is 20 grams for 3 ounces and needs no refrigeration.
Works cold, works hot, works either way after a rainy afternoon when lighting the stove feels like a project.
Variations
- Salmon or chicken packets swap in one for one.
- A crushed handful of Fritos on top adds fat, salt, and texture.