Meslalla

Ingredients

Olives

• 500 ggreen olives, pitted or whole
• water, for blanching

To flavour

• 1preserved lemon, skin only, finely chopped
• 6garlic cloves, sliced
• 5 tbspolive oil
• 1 tspsweet paprika
• 1 tspground cumin
• 1/2 tspchilli flakes, or a chopped hot chilli
• 1 tspdried oregano, if wanted

Herbs

• a large bunch of coriander, chopped
• a small bunch of flat parsley, chopped

To finish

• juice of 1 lemon
• salt, only if needed

To serve

• bread
• as part of a spread of Moroccan salads

Directions

1. Rinse the olives thoroughly under cold running water. Put the rinsed olives in a pan and cover them with cold water. Bring it to the boil and boil for five minutes. Drain them and discard the water. Repeat this with fresh water a second time. Taste one after the second blanching. If it is still very salty, blanch them once more.
2. Drain them well and let them steam dry. Preparing the preserved lemon needs a light hand. Rinse the skin under cold water. Chop the lemon skin very finely. Building the dish is done in a wide pan. Warm the olive oil in a wide pan over a medium-low heat.
3. Add the sliced garlic and cook it gently for two minutes. Do not let it brown, since burnt garlic is bitter here. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the paprika. Adding paprika off the heat is what stops it turning bitter.
4. Return it to a low heat and add the cumin and chilli. Add the drained olives to the pan. Turn them so they are coated in the spiced oil. Add the chopped preserved lemon skin. Add a splash of water, about fifty millilitres. Cover the pan and cook it gently for ten minutes.
5. Shake the pan occasionally rather than stirring hard. The olives should soften and take up the spices. Take the pan off the heat entirely. Stir in the chopped coriander and parsley. Squeeze the lemon juice over and turn everything.
6. Taste it carefully before adding any salt at all. It very often needs none, between the olives and the preserved lemon. Let it stand at room temperature for at least an hour. Take it out thirty minutes before serving. Fridge-cold olives taste of very little.
7. Spoon it into a shallow serving dish. Pour a little more olive oil over the surface. Serve it with bread, alongside other Moroccan salads. It keeps for a week in the fridge under a layer of oil.

Technique

• Blanch the olives twice and taste, since the dish also contains salty preserved lemon.
• Use only the skin of the preserved lemon and discard the flesh.
• Add the paprika off the heat, or it turns bitter.

Substitutions

• Any firm green olive in place of picholine.
• The zest of a fresh lemon with a pinch of salt, if you have no preserved lemon.

Variations

• Made with a mix of green and violet olives.
• With harissa in place of the chilli flakes.
• Served warm rather than at room temperature.

History

A standard Moroccan starter salad, using the same preserved lemons and chermoula spicing that run through the wider cuisine.

Frequently asked questions

What is Meslalla?

Meslalla is a salad & side from Morocco: cooked olive salad with preserved lemon, garlic, paprika and coriander. A standard Moroccan starter salad, using the same preserved lemons and chermoula spicing that run through the wider cuisine.

How long does Meslalla take to make?

Meslalla takes 20 min of preparation and 20 min of cooking. The recipe makes 1 bowl. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Meslalla?

Yes, within limits. Any firm green olive in place of picholine. The zest of a fresh lemon with a pinch of salt, if you have no preserved lemon.

What is the most important thing to get right in Meslalla?

Add the sliced garlic and cook it gently for two minutes. Do not let it brown, since burnt garlic is bitter here. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the paprika. Adding paprika off the heat is what stops it turning bitter.