This intensely lemony yet peppery arugula salad boasts heart-healthy avocado fat to keep you fuller longer and is perfect to serve with a lamb tagine or roast.
The flavours in this salad are just sensational the peppery rocket along with the creamy avocado, the crisp cucumber and aromatic cumin are matched perfectly with the intensely lemony, tangy preserved lemon.
A fresh salad that ticks the boxes for many tricky dietary requirements – it is low-carb, gluten, dairy and nut-free. Great for keto, paleo, vegan and vegetarian dieters.
What is preserved lemon?
Preserved lemon are thick-skinned lemons that have been pickled in salt and their own juices and left to sit for a month before using and are an essential ingredient in Moroccan cooking and used in tagines, stews, sauces and great in salads. They have an intense tangy, lemony flavour and a silken texture.
You should be able to find preserved lemons in the International food aisle in your supermarket, a Middle Eastern Specialty Shop or any good delicatessen. However, it can easily be substituted with the zest of one lemon.
They are also very easy to make all you need is lemon, salt lemon juice and some aromatics – try our recipe!
How to make this Arugula Salad…
1Prepare your arugula and mint…
Wash your baby arugula leaves and mint leaves, discard any yellowed or damaged leaves.
Either pat dry with a towel or spin in a salad spinner to remove excess water for a much tastier salad.
WASH YOUR BABY ARUGULA AND MINT
SPIN DRY TO REMOVE EXCESS WATER
2Cut your ingredients…
Wash and peel your and cucumber, leaving alternate strips of green, then slice your cucumber on the diagonal
Wash and peel your avocado then cut it lengthwise.
Remove the pulp from your preserved lemon (keep it to add to your next tagine or stew) then cut into small dice.
SLICING CUCUMBERS ON THE DIAGONAL
SLICING AVOCADO LENGTHWISE
3Putting it all together…
Add all your salad ingredients to a large mixing bowl, add the lemon juice, olive oil and cumin seeds, season with salt and pepper. Toss your Arugula salad until well combined, making sure the leaves and cucumber are well coated with the dressing. Taste your salad and adjust seasonings according to your taste.
Arrange in a salad bowl and sprinkle some additional cumin seeds on top to garnish. Serve and enjoy!
PUT ALL YOUR INGREDIENTS IN A BOWL
MIX UNTIL WELL COMBINED
What to serve with your Arugula Salad…
This is the perfect salad to serve with anything lamb – an aromatic lamb tagine, perfectly roasted lamb shoulder or leg roast, barbecued lamb cutlets or even some spicy lamb kofta.
It is also huge with crustaceans such as grilled Balmain bags, simple crab, buttered lobster or barbecued prawns.
You could even try it with a Portuguese style chicken as it will soothe the heat from the piri-piri spices.
Or simply serve it with a store-bought roast chicken for quick weeknight dinner.
Try some more of our arugula salads…
Equipment
- Salad Spinner
Ingredients
- 80 grams baby arugula {rocket} {2 cups}
- 2 medium Lebanese cucumbers {approximately 260 grams}
- ¼ cup mint leaves {approximately 3 sprigs}
- 1 large avocado {250 grams}
- 2 quarters of preserved lemon {1 tbsp diced}
- 1 tsp cumin seeds {plus extra to garnish}
- ¼ cup olive oil {extra virgin}
- 2-3 tbsps lemon juice
Instructions
- Wash your arugula and mint leaves, pat dry or spin in a salad spinner.
- Wash and peel your avocado and cucumber (leaving alternate strips of green) slice your cucumber on the diagonal and your avocado lengthwise.
- Dice your preserved lemons, then add all your ingredients in a large mixing bowl, season with salt and pepper, toss well until combined.
- Arrange in a salad bowl and sprinkle some cumin seeds on top to garnish. Serve and enjoy!
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