There’s something magical about Moroccan cuisine—the way it effortlessly balances sweet and savory, earthy and bright, crunchy and tender. This Moroccan-inspired kitchen sink salad is a perfect example of that harmony. It brngs together bold flavours, vibrant colours, and a satisfying mix of textures in every bite.
This isn’t your average salad. It’s a feast of flavours, starring pearl couscous for heartiness, chickpeas for protein, and a dazzling array of vegetables and fruits that make every forkful an adventure. Roasted beets lend a deep, earthy sweetness, while preserved lemons provide a burst of briny citrus. The addition of currants steeped in apple cider vinegar gives a subtle tang. Pistachios add crunch and pomegranate arils pop with juicy sweetness. Tossed with a fragrant blend of fresh mint and coriander, and finished with creamy feta, this salad is a true celebration of Moroccan-inspired ingredients.
To tie it all together, the dressing is made with pomegranate molasses, honey, Dijon mustard, and extra virgin olive oil.
The preserved lemons are a key ingredient. They take lemons to the next level with a combination of citrus, floral and umami. Store bought preserved lemons are fine but why not try making your own with my Easy Moroccan Preserved Lemons recipe! Homemade preserved lemons are super quick to make and there are countless ways to use them to brighten up your everyday meals.
Make it vegan!
By swapping in a plant-based cheese for the feta, this Moroccan kitchen sink salad ticks all the boxes for a balanced and super flavourful vegan main.
Whether served as a light main course or a vibrant side dish, this salad is perfect for gatherings, meal prep, or simply treating yourself to something nourishing and delicious.
Ready to bring a taste of Morocco to your kitchen? Time to bring this salad to life!
Moroccan kitchen sink salad ingredients
Try my homemade preserved lemons recipe
I know, you have no time or preserving is too complicated – right? I get it, really, I do. But if you are curious, and want a super simple recipe to ease you into preserving or pickling, my Easy Moroccan Preserved Lemons recipe is for you.
Please don’t abandon this salad recipe if you’re not interested in making your own preserved lemon. They do not need to be homemade!
Australian made preserved lemons
If opting for purchasing the preserved lemons for this recipe, turn the jar over and check whether they are made in Australia. Most jars you find in the shops are packaged in Australia but the preserved lemons are made overseas.
The one Australian made and owned brand I am aware of are the preserved lemons from Olgive & Co. This family owned and operated company locally sources both the lemons and salt in Western Australia. Their retailers are available on their website.
So, if you choose to buy the preserved lemons, you can also support Australian made and family owned.
Kitchen sink dressing ingredients
The currants used in the salad are plumped up in hot apple cider vinegar. Once the currants are drained off, the leftover vinegar has a lovely sweet and sour taste. Why waste it, when it can be used in the vinegarette!
Fresh lemons and the pomegranate molasses channel the Moroccan theme of the recipe. And don’t worry, I have the perfect prawn dish that will also put that pomegranate molasses to good use. Read on!
Only two cooked elements to this healthy salad recipe
Roast the beets
Preheat oven to 200°C /180°C fan forced.
When adding a roasted vegetable to a salad, I prefer to cook them in large chunks or slices that I can cut to the appropriate size once they’ve baked and cooled.
For the beets, peel them and cut them into thick batons about 2-3cm thick. Place them on baking paper on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Lightly salt and pepper the beetroot batons. The cooking time will depend on how large the pieces are. After about 10 minutes, I start checking every 5 minutes (set a timer!) so they don’t end up mushy and overcooked. When a fork can easily pierce the beetroot, they’re done. Set aside to cool.
Cook the couscous
Meanwhile, bring at least 3 litres of salted water to a boil in a large pot on high heat.
Add the couscous and cook at a rolling boil, stirring occasionally to stop the couscous from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Follow the packet instructions, checking regularly so the couscous doesn’t overcook. It should take 10-15 minutes and the couscous should be slightly al dente like pasta. It is in fact technically a pasta, made from toasted semolina wheat balls. Drain the cooked couscous in a colander and rinse well with cold water.
Make the sour currants
At this stage, heat up the apple cider vinegar 250ml of apple cider vinegar in the 500ml microwave jug or in a small pot until hot but not boiling. Add the currants and set aside to steep and plump up. Once plump, drain the vinegar off through a sieve and reserve the vinegar for the dressing.
Prep the remaining kitchen sink salad ingredients
My routine is the assemble and prep all the ingredients before assembling any of my kitchen sink style salads.
Dice the tri-coloured capsicum into 1cm squares. This is an approximate size of course!
Drain the tinned chickpeas and set aside, discarding the fluid.
This simple Moroccan salad uses 2 large, preserved lemons. This equates to about 2 medium or 4 to 5 small lemons. Prepare the preserved lemons by removing the lemon segments, leaving only the rind. Rinse the rind briefly under cold running water to remove the salt brine and pat dry. There’s plenty of salt left in the peel. Dice the preserved lemon rind to a similar size as the capsicum.
Prepare the fresh coriander and mint by picking the leaves from the stems and discarding the stems. Tear or roughly chop any large leaves.
Give the pomegranate a good couple of whacks!
I am not sure who thought up whacking a pomegranate half to remove the aerials, but whoever did is an absolute genius! They are damn stubborn and trying to peel them out generally results in bursting most of the aerials and leaving your hands stained.
So get out some kitchen gloves before starting on the pomegranate. Cut it in half through the middle. Then, using a large bowl to catch the aerials, hold the half cut side down in your fingers. Leaving your fingers spread wide, whack the back of the pomegranate with a meat mallet or a heavy wooden rolling pin. The aerials will fall through your fingers.
Keep hitting around the pomegranate skin until most of the aerials come free. You may need to encourage some to come out. Set the aerials aside until you assemble the salad.
Blend, whisk or shake
This easy vinaigrette comes together effortlessly—simply whisk by hand, shake it in a sealed container, or blend it up with an immersion blender or small food processor for an ultra-emulsified finish.
The currant vinegar is the flavourful liquid left from steeping the currants in apple cider vinegar. You’ll only need 60ml for this recipe, but don’t toss the rest! Store it in a sealed container in the fridge for up to two weeks—it’s perfect for drizzling over roasted veggies, adding to marinades, or mixing into other dressings.
The pomegranate molasses keeps the dressing in the Moroccan-inspired theme.
Whisk or blend all the dressing ingredients until emulsified, then set it aside until you’re ready to layer or toss your Moroccan kitchen sink salad.
A make ahead kitchen sink salad recipe
This Moroccan couscous salad recipe is an ideal make-ahead dish for your next gathering with friends. Preparing this salad the night before or earlier in the day allows you to focus on more time-sensitive dishes when it’s time to serve up.
I prepare all the elements and layer them into a large, sealed plastic container and refrigerate overnight. Specifically for this Moroccan-inspired kitchen sink salad I layer in the following bottom up order:
- half the dressing
- beets
- cooked couscous
- chickpeas
- capsicum
- currants and pistachios
- pomegranate aerials
- coriander and mint leaves
Don’t add feta cheese at this stage. And I set aside 1/3 of the beet, currants, capsicum, pistachios and pomegranate aerials to use to garnish the salad when plating up. And reserve half the dressing to ensure the salad is not soaking in dressing. You can adjust the amount of dressing just before serving.
When you need to serve up, it’s just a matter of tossing all the ingredients together and putting them in a serving bowl or on a platter. I then top the salad with the feta cheese and the extra ingredients you set aside.
Goes great with Preserved Lemon Chermoula Prawns
This Moroccan kitchen sink salad pairs beautifully with my preserved lemon Chermoula Prawns recipe and makes great use of any extra pomegranate molasses!
Moroccan Kitchen Sink Salad
Equipment
- Colander
- Sieve
- Meat mallet or a heavy wooden rolling pin
- 5-6 litre sealed plastic container (optional)
- Large serving bowl or platter
Ingredients
Salad ingredients:
- 300 g pearl couscous
- 1 cup currants
- 250 ml apple cider vinegar
- 400 g tinned chickpeas
- 2 large fresh beetroots
- 3 large capsicum (one each of yellow, red, green)
- 2 large preserved lemons
- 1 large pomegranate
- 1 cup shelled pistachios
- 1 small bunch coriander
- 1 small bunch mint
- 100 g feta cheese
Dressing ingredients:
- 60 ml reserved currant vinegar
- 60 ml fresh lemon juice
- 100 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- Sea salt
- Black pepper
Instructions
Roasted beetroot
- Preheat oven to 200°C /180°C fan forced.
- Peel the beetroot and cut them into thick batons about 2-3cm thick.
- Place the batons on baking paper on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Lightly salt and pepper. Roast for 10 minutes and then start checking every 5 minutes. Set a timer to avoid overcooking the beetroot. Takes approximately 20-30 minutes.
- The beetroot is done when a fork can easily pierce the beetroot. Set aside to cool.
Pearl couscous
- Meanwhile, bring at least 3 litres of salted water to a boil in a large pot on high heat.
- Add the couscous and cook at a rolling boil, stirring occasionally to stop the couscous from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- Follow the packet instructions, checking regularly, so the couscous doesn’t overcook.
- It should take 10-15 minutes and the couscous should be slightly al dente like pasta.
- Drain the cooked couscous in a colander and rinse well with cold water. Set aside.
Sour currants
- Heat 250mls of apple cider vinegar in the 500ml microwave jug or in a small pot until hot but not boiling.
- Add the currants and set aside to steep and plump up.
- Once plump, drain the vinegar off through a sieve.
- Reserve the ‘currant vinegar’ for the dressing.
Prep remaining salad ingredients
- Prep remaining salad ingredients and set aside for salad layering or assembly.
- Dice capsicum into approximately 1 centimetre squares.
- Drain the tinned chickpeas and set aside, discarding the fluid.
- Prepare 2 large preserved lemons by removing the lemon segments, leaving only the rind. Rinse the rind briefly under cold running water to remove the salt brine and pat dry.
- Dice the preserved lemon rind to a similar size as the capsicum.
- Prepare the fresh coriander and mint by picking the leaves from the stems and discarding the stems. Any large leaves can be torn or roughly chopped.
- The aerials need to be removed from the pomegranate. Cut the pomegranate in half through the middle. Then, using a large bowl to catch the aerials, hold the half cut side down in your fingers. Hit the back of the pomegranate with a meat mallet or a heavy wooden rolling pin. The aerials will fall through your fingers.
Salad dressing
- Combine the dressing ingredients and whisk by hand, shake them in a sealed container, or blend them with an immersion blender or small food processor for an ultra-emulsified finish.
- Salt and pepper to taste.
- Set it aside until you’re ready to layer or toss the salad.
Assemble salad
- Set aside 1/3 each of the beetroot dice, currants, capsicum dice, pistachios and pomegranate aerials to use to garnish the salad.
- Set aside all the feta cheese.
- If making the salad in advance, assemble into a sealed container in layers, refrigerate, and toss just before serving.
- Start layering in container. Start with half the dressing. Reserve half the dressing to ensure the salad is not soaking in dressing. You can adjust the amount of dressing just before serving.
Then add the salad ingredients in the following order:
- Beets.
- Cooked couscous.
- Chickpeas.
- Capsicum.
- Currants and pistachios.
- Pomegranate aerials.
- Coriander and mint leaves.
- When ready to serve, toss all the ingredients together and add more dressing if required.
- Place salad in a large serving bowl or on a platter.
- Top with crumbled feta cheese and the other reserved ingredients.
Just before you cook with abandon…
- half the dressing
- beets
- cooked couscous
- chickpeas
- capsicum
- currants and pistachios
- pomegranate aerials
- coriander and mint leaves
