Grilled Courgette Salad with Harissa Sauce
This salad makes a gorgeous light lunch or can be served as a side dish with grilled chicken or lamb chops. While the salad is at its most striking when made with the colourful varieties of courgette, it is still triumphant when made with only the easily available green courgette. It is almost two salads in one, with both raw and grilled courgettes. The harissa sauce celebrates the smoky, spicy red chilli paste beloved in North African countries such as Tunisia and Morocco. Here, I have added tomato passata to make it less of a paste and more of a sauce. I have cooked the courgettes on a cast-iron griddle pan, but instead they can be pan-fried or cooked under a high grill.
This recipe is from my cookbook: Simply Raymond: Kitchen Garden
Ingredients
For the harissa sauce
- 2 clovesGarlic
- 2Chillies, med-hot (I like Rio Grande and Snub nose varieties)
- 1 tbspOlive oil
- 6 pinchesSea salt flakes
- 2 tspSmoked paprika
- 1/2 tspGround cumin
- 200gTomato Passata
For the courgette salad
- 5Courgettes
- 4 pinchesSea salt flakes
- 2 pinchesGround black pepper
- 1 cloveGarlic
- 1/2 bunchBasil
- 5-6 tbspExtra virgin olive oil
Method
- 1
To make the harissa sauce, first peel and finely chop the garlic. Finely chop the chillies. In a large saucepan on a medium heat, sweat the garlic and chilli in the olive oil with the salt and pepper for 2 minutes, then add the spices –paprika and cumin – and cook for a further 30 seconds. Finally, add the tomato passata and bring to a simmer for 5–8 minutes until the sauce thickens. Adjust the seasoning if required and leave to cool to room temperature before serving (or store in the fridge until required).
- 2
Using a mandolin or sharp knife, finely slice two courgettes into long, thin strips. Place these on a tray and season with the salt and pepper. Finely slice the peeled garlic clove and add. Coarsely chop the basil and add. Pour over 2 or 3 tablespoons of the olive oil, toss the ingredients and put to one side to marinate. Preheat the griddle pan to medium-high.
- 3
Slice the remaining three courgettes in half lengthways. Drizzle the cut side with a little olive oil and chargrill the courgette halves on the hot griddle pan for 2 minutes on each side. Chop the six grilled courgette halves into bite-sized pieces and add these to the tray of marinated courgette strips.
- 4
To finish, spoon half the sauce onto a large platter, arrange the marinated and grilled courgettes on top, and then drizzle with the remaining sauce. Alternatively, arrange the grilled and marinated courgettes on a large platter, spoon over the harissa sauce and serve this with a bowl of the remaining harissa sauce on the side, so that your guests can help themselves.
Cooking is always an expression of care and generosity. Enjoy this dish.
Bon appétit!