Cherry Tomato and Preserved Lemon Salad {vegan}

by Dorothy Reinhold on April 1, 2017


Print This Post Print This Post Cherry Tomato and Preserved Lemon Salad: Sweet from the cherry tomatoes, salty from preserved lemon, with a slight kick from Hatch chiles, this salad is a perfect summer side dish.

I’ve been known to over-plant tomatoes in my small backyard vegetable garden. I see the tiny plants in the spring, and they all beckon me, with promises of different ripening times, different colors and different flavors. I want them all. I can envision them all in different fabulous dishes.

And sometimes I buy them all.

So it was one year I planted Sweet 100, Sweet Million, Black Cherry Tomato and Orange Sunburst Cherry Tomato plants. By the end of summer, I was cherry tomato-ed out! Well, that’s a tiny lie. I can always eat more cherry toms, and I’ve never met a neighbor who turned them down. So bring them on, the more the merrier!

And so I always collect recipes using fresh tomatoes. One year I had tasted a wonderful Moroccan Tomato and Preserved Lemon Salad at a food blogger potluck for Mother’s Day, and I remembered how tasty it was. You know when a dish sticks in your memory that long, there is no escaping it. You must make it.

Cherry Tomato and Preserved Lemon SaladThat’s this easy salad. Only a couple of ingredients, and it’s vegan and gluten-free and all that stuff. It can sit out on a buffet or picnic table without concern, and it tastes best at room temperature, so no need to fuss over keeping it refrigerated until the last minute.

Wait, what are preserved lemons?

If you’ve never tasted preserved lemons, they are a tiny miracle. They’re simply salted pickled lemons that cure in a jar, untouched, until voila! one day you uncap them and unleash their genius in your salad, with your roast chicken, or wherever you need a salty, lemony spark.  I have an easy recipe for Preserved Lemons you can make yourself, or you can buy a jar in a specialty food store

Yes, I over-planted tomatoes again this year. No, I am not sorry!

You must make this Cherry Tomato and Preserved Lemon Salad .

Recipe: Cherry Tomato and Preserved Lemon Salad

Summary: Sweet from the cherry tomatoes, salty from the preserved lemon, with a kick from the Hatch chiles, this salad is a perfect summer salad.

Ingredients

  • About 20 ounces of cherry tomatoes (64 cherry tomatoes – I counted!)
  • 2 Hatch chiles, roasted, skinned, stemmed, seeded and chopped (or substitute roasted diced green chiles or pepperoncini)
  • 2 tablespoons finely minced preserved lemon rind
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • Grinding of fresh pepper

Cherry Tomato and Preserved Lemon SaladInstructions

  1. Slice cherry tomatoes in half and add to large bowl. Add chiles, lemon, garlic, oil and a grinding of fresh pepper and stir to combine.
  2. Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking, adding more pepper if you like, and a pinch of salt only if needed. The preserved lemons are salty so you probably won’t need additional salt.
  3. Serves 4.
  4. This is wonderful freshly made, and also good the next day as leftovers. Refrigerate.

Quick notes

Preserved lemons have been cured in salt. You may make your own, very simply, or buy them in a specialty foods store or Middle Eastern market.

Cherry Tomato and Preserved Lemon SaladRecipe source

Completely inspired by my pal Nancy Eisman from Adventures with Nancy Rose. I lightly adapted her recipe and made a few tweaks to suit myself. Please do the same when you make it at your house! Tweaking is not only allowed, but appreciated!

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Diet type: Vegetarian, Vegan
Number of servings (yield): 4
Culinary tradition: Middle Eastern
My rating 5 stars:  ★★★★★ 

areyoupinningIf you like this recipe and want to save it, pin the image below to your Pinterest board.

Vegan Cherry Tomato and Preserved Lemon Salad

turquoise heart plateWant even more tomato recipes? For 90+ more recipes with tomatoes, see our Food Bloggers L.A. Tomato and Zucchini summer roundup! 

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{ 28 comments… read them below or add one }

Nina April 3, 2017 at 1:39 am

OMG!!!!!! I’m making it now!

Reply

Pamela Morse April 2, 2017 at 1:53 pm

I love this ..has all the flavors I love and I have all the ingredients on hand. YUM!

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The Ninja Baker April 2, 2017 at 12:59 pm

Looks like a winner! #inspired to use lemon preserves =) P.s. I always think of you as I pour my sugar with vanilla beans.

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Dorothy Reinhold April 2, 2017 at 3:32 pm

Ninja,
I predict you will be fascinated by preserved lemons, once you taste them! And oh yes, vanilla sugar. It’s the answer to everything! 🙂

Reply

Christie April 2, 2017 at 12:25 pm

I’ve been meaning to make some preserved lemons. Now, I have to so I can make this salad.

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Dorothy Reinhold April 2, 2017 at 3:32 pm

Christie,
This salad is a perfect excuse!

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Cricket Plunkett April 2, 2017 at 12:02 pm

This is a perfect summer recipe in my book!

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Nicole April 2, 2017 at 7:11 am

This is absolutely beautiful Dorothy. I love everything about the freshness of this salad. YUM!

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Dorothy Reinhold April 2, 2017 at 8:01 am

Thank you Nicole! Sometimes the simplest things turn out the best, right?

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Raj @ Flip Cookbook September 24, 2012 at 8:24 am

LOVE this. Thanks for sharing at this week’s Sugar Free Sunday. Great inspiration to start the week refined sugar free!

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Carole September 20, 2012 at 4:41 pm

Thanks for linking this in to Food on Friday. Cheers

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Carole September 20, 2012 at 2:53 pm

Hi there. Food on Friday: Lemons and Limes is now open for entries. This looks like a neat one! I do hope you link it in. This is the link . Cheers

PS I am following you now on Google Reader. If you like Carole’s Chatter it would be great if you followed me back.

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Dorothy September 15, 2012 at 2:03 pm
Cynthia L. September 15, 2012 at 9:07 am

Hi Dorothy. Thank you for linking this delicious recipe up to Foodie Friends Friday. We are happy you participated but would love it if you would mention your link up somewhere in your post. If I missed it, I apologize.

Thanks again

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Cathy @ She Paused 4 Thought September 13, 2012 at 7:05 pm

I have preserved lemons that I made sitting in my refrigerator with nothing to do. I have heaps of tomatoes growing outside and this recipes looks like my perfect solution. Thank you.

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Dorothy September 13, 2012 at 9:06 pm

Cathy,
Serendipity!

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Sanchez James R September 13, 2012 at 9:09 am

Lovely Cherry Tomato and Preserved Lemon Salad. My Wife & my Granny loved it.

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sippitysup September 13, 2012 at 8:26 am

Did you preserve the lemons yourself. I tried it last year and didn’t love the results. I was hoping you had a trick. GREG

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Dorothy September 13, 2012 at 11:11 am

Greg,
I DID preserve them myself! No big trick. I used Meyer lemons, scrubbed, dried, cut them into quarters, packed them into small jars with lots of kosher salt between the layers, pressing on the lemons to extract their juice. A final thick layer of kosher salt on top (no lemon showing). Put the jar in a paper bag in the dark pantry for 3 weeks. Voila! For use, I peeled off and discarded the flesh, rinsed the quarter lemon rind well, and minced it very finely for the salad.

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Faye Levy September 12, 2012 at 7:40 pm

Yum! Do you prefer the hot Hatch chiles or the milder ones for this?

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Dorothy September 12, 2012 at 10:07 pm

Faye,
Personally, I prefer the mild Hatch. I think you can always ADD more heat if you need to, but it is difficult to remove chile heat. Right?

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Faye Levy September 13, 2012 at 9:04 pm

Of course. I discussed chiles with Chef Michel Ohayon of Koutoubia when he was making harissa, specifically how inconsistent they are in the amount of heat. He said if the chiles come out too mild for the flavor he’s looking for, he adjusts with cayenne.

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Connie September 12, 2012 at 7:29 am

Sounds and looks amazing!

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Dorothy September 12, 2012 at 9:33 am

Connie,
Oh yes, it is! You must make it!

Reply

Bethany September 12, 2012 at 6:30 am

Good post, thank you!

Reply

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