Montreal is one of those cities that, in all honesty, has only 2 seasons. Summer and Winter. Two days ago, the temperature was gravitating around 15-18 Celsius and today it’s more like 34.
34!
It’s like someone flipped a switch and now we’re living in Casablanca. Just like that. That’s why salad. This kind of heat calls for salad, Moroccan Beet Salad.
How To Make Moroccan Beet Salad
Ingredients
This is a very easy salad to make. It takes a handful of ingredients and less than 30 minutes to get ready. Here is what you will need and why:
Beets: the main star of this dish. I like to peel and dice these to 1/2 cubic inch. They cook and cool down much faster this way. Before dressing these, we’re going to need to let them completely dry and cool down in a strainer. This will ensure that the dressing sticks to them properly.
Sweet onion: adds a little kick to what is otherwise a naturally sweet salad. You can choose either yellow or red. You can’t go wrong. I used 1/2 a small sweet onion.
Parsley: the perfect complement. Parsley has a subtle flavor and add a lot of freshness to this dish. If you’re not a fan of parsley, you can substitute with either fresh basil or coriander. They both work really well.
Mayonnaise: This is not a typical ingredient in Moroccan beet salad recipes. To be honest, this is my mom’s addition, and it’s fantastic. Using mayo rather than olive oil is much better since it carries and spreads your spices a lot better. If you are vegan, you can substitute this with vegan mayonnaise. It works perfectly.
Lemon: zest and juice. This is another non negotiable ingredient. The acidity and strong flavor or lemons complements the beets’ sweetness perfectly. Trust me, you do not want to make this without fresh lemon juice and zest.
Cumin:Â because it would not be Moroccan if did not include some freshly ground cumin.
Smoked Paprika: Adds color and a much needed smokey flavor to the salad. If you don’t have this ingredients, you can substitute with regular paprika. This is my own addition, and I’m a big fan of smoked paprika.
Instructions
Start by peeling and dicing your beets. Move them to a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook for another 7-10 minutes. While your beets are cooking make your dressing. To a small bowl add one tablespoon of mayonnaise (or vegan mayonnaise), minced onion, cumin, paprika, zest of 1 lemon and zest of 1/2 a lemon. Mix and set aside.
Drain and let your beets completely dry and cool down in a strainer (this should take about 15 minutes). Once your beets have cooled down, move them into a large mixing bowl and add your dressing along with the chopped parsley. Mix until your beets are fully coated. Serve with an extra dash of chopped parsley and enjoy!
Moroccan Beet Salad
Ingredients
- 1 lbs beets peeled and diced
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley plus more for garnish
- 1 tbsp mayonnaise
- juice of 1/2 a lemon
- zest of one lemon
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp ground paprika
- 1/2 small onion finely chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Place your beets in a pot full of salted water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook for another 7-10 minutes or until beets are completely cooked through. Drain and let your beets completely dry and cool down in a strainer (this should take about 15 minutes)
In a small bowl, mix your mayonnaise, cumin, paprika, minced onion, lemon juice and zest.
Add your beets to the bowl, along with the parsley and mix until your diced beets are fully coated. Serve with an extra garnish of parsley (if you want). Enjoy
Brilliant! Thank you, I was wondering how to use up the beetroots that I bought on a ‘health’ impulse. I didn’t know how to cook them. Although I won’t be using the raw onions…
Awesome! No worries, although I prefer raw onions in my salad, it’s something that I just added myself as a little plus. Most Moroccan beet salads are made without. Enjoy <3
SO good! I’m totally adding this to my salad rotation