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Armenian cucumbers offer a crispy contrast to fresh tomatoes in this Moroccan salad (shlada) recipe that includes vinaigrette and fresh mint.
It’s sometimes referred to as shlada ‘arobiya (country salad) or shlada Nationale (national salad). With its fresh taste and ease of preparation, it’s an excellent salad for summer dinners and gatherings.
Shlada Recipe
In this recipe, the tomatoes are blanched and peeled. Fresh mint and onion back up the cucumber and tomato medley, giving the salad a fantastic flavor. The simple vinaigrette of fresh lemon juice and olive oil brings it all together wonderfully.
The secret of the salad is how small you can chop the tomatoes, cucumber, and onion. When they are chopped into small pieces, then you get all of them in a bit and it makes a huge difference!
Mixing the salad at least 10 minutes before serving will allow the various flavors to blend. The flavor will continue to develop if you let it rest for up to an hour.
You can serve the Moroccan cucumber and tomato salad as is and spoon it onto individual plates or bowls as a fresh side dish or light lunch.
It’s also popularly eaten as a dip and scooped up with Moroccan bread (khobz) or used as the base to make other salads.
Recipe Variations
- Parsley works as a good substitute for mint in this salad.
- If you prefer, use vinegar instead of lemon juice.
- Vegetable oil can replace olive oil.
Serving Suggestions
- You can serve the salad in a bowl along with a French baguette or Moroccan bread.
- You can make it look fancy by plating it using a large cookie cutter that you put on a plate, filling it with the salad, packing, then slowly removing the cookie cutter. The salad will be shaped nicely.
Be sure to recreate this incredible Shlada -Moroccan Tomato Salad Recipe. Bon Appetit!
Moroccan Tomato Cucumber Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 0.6 pound (300 grams) fresh tomatoes
- 1 cucumber
- 1 small sweet yellow onion
- 2 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro
- Juice of 1 lemon (to taste)
- Peel of 1 quarter preserved lemon (optional)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Spices: 1/2 teaspoon slat, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin (to taste)
Instructions
Preparing the Ingredients
- The secret of the salad is how small you can chop the tomatoes, cucumber, and onion. When they are chopped into small pieces, then you get all of them in a bit and it makes a huge difference!
- Chop the tomatoes (with the skin), the cucumber, and yellow onion into very small pieces.
- Chop the preserved lemon peel (not the pulp) into very small pieces. If you dont have preserved lemon you can just skip it.
Mixing the Ingredients
- In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients together: tomatoes, cucumber, onion, preserved lemon peel, lemon juice, chopped cilantro, olive oil, and spices. Mix well. Taste and adjust the spices accordingly.
Serving the Salad
- You can serve the salad in a bowl along with French baguette or Moroccan bread.
- You can make it look fancy by plating it using a large cookie cutter that you put on a plate, fill it with the salad, pack, then slowly remove the cookie cutter. The salad will be shaped nicely.Bon Appetit!