Marinated Chickpea Salad with Charred & Preserved Lemons
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Recipe type: Appetiser
Serves: Serves 4
Ingredients
  • Salad:
  • 4 cups chickpeas (cooked from dried or canned)
  • 1½ preserved lemons (6 quarters), rind coarsely chopped
  • ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
  • 3 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • ¼ tsp coriander
  • ¼ tsp turmeric
  • ¼ tsp cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp freshly ground pepper
  • .
  • Preserved Lemons:
  • 3-4 lemons, scrubbed clean and cut into quarters
  • Coarse salt
  • Additional lemon juice, to top up
  • 1 bay leaf
  • .
  • Pita or naan bread, to serve
  • Thinly sliced lemon, charred
Instructions
  1. To make preserved lemons from scratch, sterilize a glass jar in boiling water. Squeeze the juice of each lemon slice into the jar and then add the slice to the jar. Do this until the jar is stuffed full of lemon slices. Add coarse salt and shake it to work it through to the bottom of the jar, adding more and shaking, until the empty spaces in the jar are filled with salt. Top up with extra lemon juice if needed, so that the juice reaches the top of the jar. Close the jar and set the lemons sit in the fridge, rotating the jar every couple days for an even preserve. The lemons should be ready to consume in roughly 2 weeks time and will keep in the fridge up to 6 months.
  2. In a small bowl, combine olive oil, garlic, cumin, coriander, turmeric, cinnamon and pepper. Drizzle over chickpeas and toss to coat. Add chopped preserved lemon rind and mix well. Marinate in the refrigerator for 4 hours or overnight.
  3. To char lemon slices, heat a pan on high heat. Gently brush the lemon slices with a touch of oil and then place them in the pan, cooking for 2-3 minutes, until smoking and then flipping once to cook the other side (roughly 1 minute).
  4. Warm marinated chickpeas in a skillet over medium heat for 3-5 minutes, until fragrant but not browned. Remove from heat. Add parsley and toss well.
  5. Serve warm with soft pita bread and charred lemon slices.
Recipe by Port and Fin at https://portandfin.com/marinated-chickpea-salad-with-preserved-lemons/