Moroccan Chickpea Salad with Preserved Lemon
Preserved lemons are Morocco's great trick, whole lemons packed in salt until the rind turns silky and tastes of nothing else on earth. Because the rind is intensely seasoned, a single one flavors a whole salad, which is the honest reason salt appears in this recipe at all: the lemon is a cured ferment, and its salt cannot be rinsed out of the rind without losing the point. Rinse off the surface brine, use only the rind, and let it do the seasoning while ripe tomato, cucumber, and a double handful of parsley and cilantro keep everything fresh. Toasted cumin ties it to the Moroccan table. Serve it cold, on its own or over whole grains.
Ingredients
- 3 cups Chickpeas, cooked, or two 15 oz cans, no-salt-added, drained
- 2 wholes Fresh tomatoes, seeded and diced
- 1 whole Cucumber, seeded and diced
- 1/2 whole Red onions, finely diced
- 1 whole Preserved lemon, rinsed, flesh discarded, rind finely minced
- 1/2 cup Flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- 1/2 cup Cilantro, chopped
- 1 tsp Cumin seed, toasted and ground
- 3 tbsp Lemon juice, fresh
Method
- Rinse the preserved lemon under running water, pull off and discard the soft flesh, and mince only the rind. Rinsing washes off the surface brine and the rind, not the pulp, is where the deep fermented-citrus flavor lives; a little goes a long way, which is why this is the one place salt earns its keep.
- Toast the cumin seeds in a dry pan until fragrant, about 1 minute, then grind. Toasting whole seeds and grinding them fresh gives several times the aroma of pre-ground cumin.
- Combine the chickpeas, tomato, cucumber, red onion, and herbs in a bowl, then fold in the minced preserved lemon rind, cumin, and lemon juice. The preserved lemon carries the seasoning, so no other salt goes in.
- Let the salad sit for 10 minutes before serving so the chickpeas drink up the lemon and cumin. Resting is what turns a bowl of separate ingredients into a salad that tastes seasoned all the way through.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving: 210 calories, 9 g protein, 8 g fiber, 200 mg sodium. Computed from USDA FoodData Central reference values for the main ingredients. This is an approximation, not a laboratory measurement. How these are computed.
Cost per serving is estimated from US national-average retail prices for cheap staple forms, using BLS dried-bean prices and USDA produce prices. Prices vary by store and season, so treat it as a guide, not a receipt. How this is computed.
