Heat the water in a small pot over high heat until it boils. Add the olive oil and salt, stir in the couscous, and cover. Turn off the heat and let it sit for 10 minutes, until all of the liquid is absorbed.
Use a fork to fluff the couscous. Don’t let the couscous sit for more than 20 minutes without fluffing it or it might clump up. You can fluff it and then recover it in the pot to keep it warm.
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Notes
While couscous is made from crushed durum wheat semolinas, it is only sort of a pasta, since the wheat isn’t milled like the wheat used in traditional Italian or Asian pastas. Also, it is parcooked, and needs to be steamed, not boiled, as most pastas do (if you box says to boil the pasta, ignore that!)