I first served this salad for a recent ‘bring a plate’ dinner served alongside some chicken, fish & dips. There were leftovers and It held up well for an easy lunch the next day, making it a great meal prep dish.
The combination of flavours in this hearty grain salad make for one big explosion of flavour! A good salad needs levels of flavour to keep it exciting. The combination of parsley, mint & shallots is my all-time favourite and really lifts a salad. The briny olives, umami rich preserved lemon adding a delicious savoury element and those currants some pops of sweetness along with some crunch from the nuts make this the perfect base to toss through the roast veggies. A high ratio vinegar dressing is my go-to for most salads and works well for grain salads which can be a bit bland without it.
Buckwheat is my favourite grains (well it is actually a seed) with its sweet, nuttiness and nice firm texture, it holds itself well for salads, adding to soups, stews and even into breakfast bowls - sweet & savoury. Despite the name, it is in fact is a gluten-free grain, not associated with wheat and very affordable. It does however need a couple of easy steps to make sure it doesn’t turn into a sticky, stodgy mess. Follow the method I use in this recipe to prepare it every time for a perfect result. Once cooked, you can store the cooked buckwheat for 4-5 days in the fridge.
Buckwheat - Swap for any grain you wish - brown rice, quinoa, farro, barley, millet or even cous cous.
Haloumi - you can swap out for feta, goats cheese or even a good quality cheddar diced through the salad.
Herbs - I love the parsley, mint, shallot combination but if you have some coriander or basil, feel free to swap it in. Dill would also be amazing!
Kalamata Olives - a Green olive will work well as would
Currants - You could swap in some sultanas, raisins or cranberries. Also amazing are fresh grapes or thinly sliced apple.
Preserved lemon - there really isn’t an equivalent to the delicious umami flavour form he preserved lemon rind , you could get things n ice and zesty with the zest of the lemon added in place of preserved lemon if you cant find or don’t like.
Additions - Roast veggies are a great additions to this salad! Eggplant and zucchini, cauliflower, broccoli, pumpkin, carrots, beetroots are amazing and for a fresh vibe, think tomatoes, cucumbers, capsicums, (sweet peppers), shaved fennel, shaved cabbage, baby spinach.
Serves 6
Ingredients
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