Middle Eastern Salad with Zucchini Flowers & Labneh

This middle eastern salad has a profusion of flavours and textures, a great standalone meal or ideal to serve as an elegant side at your next dinner party or as part of a mezze platter.

Middle eastern Dukkah ads a ton of aromatic flavours to this textural salad – the crunch of the fried zucchini flowers, the crispness of zucchini ribbon and the creaminess of the labneh are a marvellous combination.

Some Serving Ideas

This incredibly tasty salad is perfect for a girly lunch or served as part of an elaborate buffet.

We served ours at a Middle Eastern style buffet dinner, alongside some kofta, kebabs, pita bread and dips. And we have also served it as part of an elegant dinner with pomegranate chicken.

More on Labneh

Labneh is a type of soft cheese made from strained yoghurt that been part of Middle Eastern cuisines for thousands of years and used as a good source of protein.

It is light, refreshing with a creamy texture, it is versatile and delicious and usually eaten as you would any mezze spread such as hummus – as a dip for pita or falafel, as a spread on pita with a sprinkle of za’atar or in a Turkish bread sandwich with vegetables or meat for a fast lunch.

You will find Labneh in the chiller section of your supermarket or at any Middle Eastern speciality store or it is so simple that you could try to make Labneh at home.

How to make this MIDDLE EASTERN salad

1Start with the batter
In a mixing bowl, add 1 cup of plain flour, 1 cup of rice flour, sesame seeds and a pinch of salt.
Add enough cold beer to the flour, while whisking until the batter is the consistency of cream and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

2Make your salad
While your batter is chilling, wash the zucchini, cut off the tops and ends then cut into ribbons with a y-peeler or vegetable peeler. 
In a mixing bowl place, the zucchini ribbons season with some salt and let stand 5-10 minutes, then pat dry and discard the excess water.
Add the olive oil, lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of the pistachio dukkah, season with salt and pepper, taste and adjust seasonings according to your taste.

3Prepare the zucchini flowers
I take the opportunity to use up all the wilted and closed up zucchini flowers that I have and fry them for this salad, but just use what you have.
Cut off the stems and spiny leaves then gently cut them open and remove the stamen/pistil but keep them in one piece.

4Fry your flowers
Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed deep frypan until hot. You can test this by dropping in a drop of batter and if it sizzles immediately your oil is hot enough.
Sprinkle some rice flour into a shallow bowl and coat the zucchini flowers with the flour, then dip them into the batter until lightly coated, allowing the excess batter to drip-off. 
Lower the zucchini flowers into the hot oil in batches. Fry until crisp and golden brown for approximately 3-4 minutes.
Remove from the oil using a slotted spoon and set aside to drain on a plate with a few layers of kitchen paper to absorb the oil. Repeat with all of the zucchini flowers.

5Assemble your Middle Eastern salad
Smear the labneh on one side of a large platter and scatter one tablespoon of the Dukkah on top.
Arrange the zucchini ribbon salad on the other side of the platter but don’t add the dressing, put it in a small jug to serve on the side instead.
Place the fried zucchini flowers in the middle, then scatter the remaining Dukkah on top of the salad.
Serve the salad immediately with the dressing in a small jug on the side.

Tips for making this MIDDLE EASTERN salad

• Definitely use the rice flour in your batter as this is a key element for a crispy batter.
• Make sure your batter is ice cold, make it at least 20-30 minutes in advance and keep it chilled in your fridge.
• Make sure that you dust your flowers in rice flour before you coat them in the batter as this will ensure that the batter sticks.
• Season the zucchini ribbons with salt, toss let stand for 5-10 minutes, pat dry and strain well. This allows the excess water to drain off and allow the lemony flavours to be absorbed into the ribbons.
• You can make the zucchini ribbons and prepare the labneh first then fry your flowers, keep them separate then add to the platter just before serving so that they stay crisp.

Wondering what to do with the leftover batter?

Don’t throw your leftover batter away, I always use it the next day and make some zucchini fritters.

Add 2 eggs to your batter and whisk then add 1-2 cups of grated zucchini, ¼ cup crumbled feta, 1 tbsp chopped soft herbs such as dill, mint or basil, season and mix everything together well.

Then take tablespoons of the mix and fry them in hot oil until golden and crisp – just so scrumptious!

Why not try some more of our Middle Eastern Salads

Middle Eastern Salad with Zucchini Flowers and Labneh

This middle eastern salad has a profusion of flavours and textures, a great standalone meal or perfect to serve as an elegant side at your next dinner party.

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Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

(Times are an estimate and will depend on your skill level)

Course: Salad

Cuisine: Middle Eastern

Keyword: Advanced

Servings: 6 as a side

Calories: 433kcal

Equipment

• Y-Peeler
• Deep fryer or deep frypan

Ingredients

For the salad…

• 6 small green zucchini (courgette) (approximately 350 grams)
• 4 tbsps olive oil
• 2 tbsps lemon juice (juice from 1 lemon)
• 1 cup labneh (approximately 250 grams)
• 2 tbsps pistachio dukkah

For the zucchini flowers…

• 16 zucchini (courgette, squash, pumpkin) flowers
• 1 can of beer, very cold (375 ml / 12 fl oz can)
• 1 cup plain flour
• 1 cup rice flour, finely ground*½ (available from Coles or Woolworths)*
• 2 tbsps sesame seeds
• Sea Salt
• Oil for frying

Metric – Imperial

Instructions

• In a mixing bowl, add 1 cup of plain flour, 1 cup of rice flour, sesame seeds and a pinch of salt.
• Add enough cold beer to the flour, while whisking until the batter is the consistency of cream and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, wash and trim your zucchini and cut into ribbons with a with a y-peeler or vegetable peeler
• In a mixing bowl place, the zucchini ribbons season with some salt and let stand 5-10 minutes, then pat dry and discard the excess water.
• Add the olive oil, lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of the pistachio dukkah, season with salt and pepper, taste and adjust seasonings according to your taste.
• Cut off the stems and spiny leaves from your flowers, then gently cut them open and remove the stamen/pistil but keep them in one piece.
• Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed deep frypan until hot. You can test this by dropping in a drop of batter and if it sizzles immediately your oil is hot enough.
• Sprinkle some rice flour into a shallow bowl and coat the zucchini flowers with the flour, then dip them into the batter until lightly coated, allowing the excess batter to drip-off.
• Lower the zucchini flowers into the hot oil in batches. Fry until crisp and golden brown for approximately 3-4 minutes.
• Remove from the oil using a slotted spoon and set aside to drain on a plate with a few layers of kitchen paper to absorb the oil. Repeat with all of the zucchini flowers.
• Smear the labneh on one side of a large platter and scatter one tablespoon of the Dukkah on top.
• Arrange the zucchini ribbon salad on the other side of the platter but don’t add the dressing, put it in a small jug to serve on the side instead.
• Place the fried zucchini flowers in the middle, then scatter the remaining Dukkah on top of the salad
• Serve the salad immediately with the dressing ½on the side.

Video

Notes

• If you are unable to find rice flour use 1 1/2 cups plain flour and 1/2 cup cornflour. But the rice flour will make your batter nice and crispy.
• You will need some additional rice flour to coat the zucchini flowers before dipping into the batter. 

 

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.

Nutrition Facts

Middle Eastern Salad with Zucchini Flowers and Labneh

Amount Per Serving

Calories 433 Calories from Fat 216

% Daily Value*

Fat 24g37%

Saturated Fat 3g19%

Cholesterol 2mg1%

Sodium 22mg1%

Potassium 366mg10%

Carbohydrates 44g15%

Fiber 3g13%

Sugar 4g4%

Protein 11g22%

Vitamin A 232IU5%

Vitamin C 15mg18%

Calcium 96mg10%

Iron 2mg11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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