Moroccan Tomato Salad with Preserved Lemon, Olives & Capers

Bright, tangy, and deeply flavorful — this salad brings together the best of Morocco’s pantry staples with the freshness of ripe summer tomatoes. Perfect as a starter, side, or light main with crusty bread.

Serves 4–6

Ingredients

• 4–5 ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges or half-moons

• ½ small red onion, thinly sliced

• ¼ cup dry-cured Beldi olives

• ¼ cup Moroccan Picholine olives

• 2 tbsp Moroccan Non-Pareil capers

• ½ preserved lemon, rind only, finely sliced

• 2 tbsp fresh parsley leaves

• 2 tbsp fresh cilantro leaves

• ½ tsp ground cumin

• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice (or red wine vinegar)

• Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, red onion, olives, capers, and preserved lemon.

2. Add parsley and cilantro leaves.

3. Sprinkle with cumin, then drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice (or vinegar).

4. Toss gently to combine, season to taste with salt and pepper.

5. Serve immediately, or let it sit for 10–15 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.

Tip: This salad pairs beautifully with grilled fish, roasted chicken, or simply on its own with good bread to soak up the juices.

Beet Carpaccio

Ingredients

• 2 cooked beets (we roasted ours - you can boil them in water as well)

• 1 tbsp honey

• 1/2 lemon juice

• 4 tbsp of olive oil

• 1 tsp Dukkah

• salt (to taste)

• green onion tops (optional, they add a nice flavor)

Method

Slice the beets thin using a mandolin and arrange on a platter.

Make the dressing: in a bowl, whisk all the remaining ingredients the until you obtain a smooth somewhat thin dressing, then add the olive oil and the lemon juice then blend well.

Pour over the beets and let it marinade in the fridge for at least 30 min.

Cucumber Aleppo Salad

Ingredients

• 4 Persian Cucumbers (cubed)

• 2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

• 1/2 tsp of Aleppo Pepper

• 1 tbsp Lemon or Lime Juice

• Salt (to taste)

Method

Mix the lemon juice, salt and Aleppo pepper. Let sit for 5 minutes. Add the olive oil and mix well. Toss in the cucumbers and your salad is ready to serve.

Endive Dukkah Salad with Preserved Lemon Vinagrette

Ingredients

• 2 Endives

• Soft Cheese (to preference)

• 1 tsp Dukkah

• 1/4 Preserved Lemons (pulp removed)

• 2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

• 1/2 tsp Honey

• 6 Walnuts (halved or diced)

• Salt to taste

Wash the endives and cut the bottom to obtain whole leaves. Scatter them on a plate, crumble the cheese and the walnuts on top. Make the vinaigrette by whisking the olive oil, honey, dukkah and the chopped preserved lemon until the vinaigrette is nice and thick, drizzle over salad and serve.

"Pepper Shlada" - Roasted Pepper Salad

Ingredients

• 2 Bell Peppers

• 1/2 Preserved Lemons (pulp removed)

• 1 Garlic (clove, grated)

• 8 Tbsp Olive Oil

• Parsley (chopped)

• Cilantro (chopped)

Method

Roast a bell pepper on the stove or on the BBQ. Transfer to a bowl and cover until the skin is soft. Remove the skin, and seeds. Slice and marinade in olive oil, grated garlic clove and a sliced or diced Preserved Lemon, cilantro and parsley.

Rose Onion Pickles

Ingredients

• 1 red onion

• 2 tbsp raisins

• 1 tsp sumac

• 1 tsp rose water or 1 rose bud

• 1/2 cup vinegar

• 2 tsp salt

• 1 tsp sugar

• 1 tbls extra virgin olive oil

Method

1. Thinly slice the onions and scatter them onto a shallow plate. Sprinkle the salt and the sugar. Add the raisins and the rosebuds or rosewater and mix with your hands to ensure the onions are fully coated.

2. Let sit for 5 mins. Add the vinegar and mix again.

3. Let sit for at least an hour at room temperature and add olive oil and garnish with sumac before serving.

Cucumber Tahini Salad

Ingredients

• 3 Persian cucumbers
• 2 tbsp Tahini
• 1/2 tsp Nigella
• 6 sprigs of cilantro
• 1/2 of a lime
• 2 to 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp honey
• 1 onion (quartered & thinly sliced)
• 2 tbsp water
• Salt to taste

Method

Mix tahini with a bit of water to get a dressing like consistency. If you prefer lighter dressing, add a bit more water or add less if you prefer a thicker dressing. Whisk, then add the honey and salt. Cut the cukes the way you like and add the dressing and mix well. Plate the cucumbers and add the onion, cilantro, olive oil and sprinkle the nigella on top. Finish with a squeeze of lime juice.

Mderbel - Moroccan Cauliflower Salad

We don't really follow the trends like cauliflower rice but we do eat the cauliflower mash our mama fed us in Morocco.

Ingredients

• 1 Cauliflower head

• 2-3 Tbls Harissa (or to taste)

• 3 Garlic Cloves

• 1/2 Preserved Lemon (thinly sliced)

• 4 Tbls Olive Oil (or to taste)

• 1/4 cup Parsley

• 1/4 cup Cilantro

• Salt (pinch)

• Pepper (to taste)

Method

1. Cut cauliflower into small pieces and simmer in olive oil, garlic, parsley, cilantro, preserved lemons, salt and pepper until soft. About 20 mins.

2. Once cooked, add Harissa, mix and mash with a fork.

3. Drizzle olive oil over the top and serve!

Tomato Salad Merhzina

This dish is a staple you'll find on every single Moroccan table, every season. It compliments just about anything you can imagine and is incredibly easy to make.

Ingredients

• 2-3 Heirloom Tomatoes (Rough chopped)

• 1/2 cup Picholine Olives

• 1/2 Onion (finely chopped)

• 1/2 Red or Green Bell Pepper (roasted and chopped)

• 1/4 Preserved Lemon (thinly sliced)

• 4 Tbls Olive Oil (or to taste)

• 1 Tbls Vinegar or squeeze of fresh Lemon

• 1/4 cup Parsley

• 1/4 cup Cilantro

• Cumin (pinch)

• Salt (pinch)

Method

1. Peel the tomatoes and cut in half. Remove the seeds and any liquid. Dice finely.

2. Wash and chop the herbs well.

3. Mix all the ingredients and add the vinegar and olive oil.

Sumac Radish Salad

Ingredients

• Watermelon radish

• Daikon radish

• White radish

• Salt

• Sumac

• Olive oil

• Lemon juice

• Cilantro sprigs

Method

This time the recipe is your intuition. You have carte blanche. You shave some radishes, whisk some good olive oil and lemon. Sprinkle some sumac and salt and the dish is ready. We are adamant about the soigné presentation though.

Harissa Citrus Salad

• 2 Oranges 

• 1 tbsp Villa Jerada Harissa

• 5-6 Oil Cured Olives

• 1tbsp Olive oil

• Parsley, Fennel or Mint leaves (to taste)

• Onions (finely sliced)

  Peel the oranges, paring away all the exterior white pulp. Cut each orange into supremes or wedges (to your preference. If wedges then cut each wedge into 1-inch pieces). 

  Place the harissa, lemon, olive oil in a salad bowl. Add some juice from the oranges and whisk to combine. Add the oranges, parsley, mint or fennel, olives and onions. Toss gently to mix. Serve cold or at room temperature.