Nigella Lawson’s jewelled salad is a finely chopped salad of courgette, cucumber, tomato and herbs, studded with pomegranate seeds and dressed with lemon and olive oil. It serves 4 to 6, from her book At My Table.
She calls it chopped salad at home, a long way from the American classic and, at its starting point, rather more Lebanese in style. The pomegranate seeds aren’t a garnish, a word she loathes, but an essential ingredient, adding crunch and tangy sweetness.
The character comes from the fine, even dice. Everything is cut small so each forkful carries a jumble of all the vegetables and herbs together, scattered with the jewel-like pomegranate seeds that give the salad its name and its sweet-sharp pops.
Nigella Lawson Jewelled Salad
Course: Sides, SaladsCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy4-6
servings20
minutes90
kcal30
minutesNigella’s Lebanese-leaning chopped salad from At My Table: finely diced courgette, cucumber and tomato tossed with herbs, lemon and olive oil, jewelled with pomegranate seeds. Serves four to six.
Ingredients
1 courgette (peeled in strips and cut into small dice)
4 spring onions (white and pale green part only, thinly sliced)
½ cucumber (peeled in stripes, deseeded and cut into small dice)
4 regular-sized tomatoes (deseeded and cut into small dice)
1 clove garlic (peeled and minced)
150g pomegranate seeds
1 teaspoon dried mint
1 teaspoon dried dill
1 teaspoon sea salt flakes
1 unwaxed lemon (finely grated zest and juice)
2 x 15ml tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
100g flatleaf parsley (leaves only, roughly chopped)
Directions
- Toss:Put everything except the parsley into a large mixing bowl and toss together very well. Let stand for 10 minutes.
- Finish:Add the parsley, toss again until everything is a beautiful jumble, and serve immediately.
Notes
- (pomegranate): Nigella considers the pomegranate seeds essential, for crunch and tangy sweetness, not decoration. If you have to leave them out at certain times of year, it’s still a glorious salad.
- (serving): Nigella often eats this alongside her lamb kofta, but it graces any table it’s brought to.
- (make ahead / store): It’s not advisable to make ahead, but you can refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
FAQs
Why peel the courgette and cucumber in stripes?
Peeling them in alternating strips, leaving some skin on and some off, is partly for looks and partly for texture. It gives a prettier striped dice and stops the salad being all green skin, while removing enough peel to keep the courgette and cucumber tender rather than tough or bitter.
It also helps them take up the lemon and oil better. Deseeding the cucumber and the tomatoes is just as important: it removes the watery centres that would otherwise make the finished salad sit in a puddle, keeping every diced piece crisp and distinct rather than soggy.
Why are the pomegranate seeds so important?
Nigella is firm that they’re an essential ingredient, not a garnish, a word she loathes. They give the salad its name and its character: little bursts of crunch and tangy sweetness that cut through the fresh green vegetables and the lemony dressing, lifting what could be an ordinary chopped salad into something special.
That said, she’s practical about it. If pomegranates aren’t in season or you can’t get them, you can leave them out and it’s still a glorious salad. Out of season, you could swap in something with a similar sweet-sharp pop, but fresh pomegranate seeds really are the making of it.
Why let it stand for 10 minutes before adding the parsley?
Resting the dressed vegetables for 10 minutes before the parsley goes in lets the salt, lemon and olive oil draw out and mingle with the juices, so the flavours marry and everything tastes seasoned through rather than just coated. The dried mint and dill also soften and release their flavour in that time.
The parsley is added right at the end, and the salad served immediately, so it stays bright green and fresh rather than wilting. Toss it through just before serving for that final burst of herb. Dried mint and dill, rather than fresh, give a more concentrated, savoury herb note here.
What do I serve it with?
Nigella pairs it with her lamb kofta, and its fresh, sharp, jewelled character is perfect against rich, spiced grilled meat. More broadly it’s a brilliant side for anything from the grill or any Middle Eastern or Mediterranean spread, cutting through heavier dishes with its crunch and acidity.
It sits beautifully on a mezze table alongside dips and flatbreads, next to something like Nigella’s caramelized garlic hummus. It’s also a lovely fresh foil for her sweet potato curry. There’s more on the Nigella Lawson recipes page.
Can I make it ahead or store leftovers?
Nigella advises against making it ahead, and for good reason: it’s at its best freshly tossed, when the vegetables are crisp and the parsley bright. Made too far in advance, the salt and lemon draw water from the vegetables and the salad loses its crunch, turning watery and dull.
You can refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days, though they’ll soften over time. If you want to get ahead, you can dice the firmer vegetables in advance and keep them separate, then dress and add the herbs just before serving. Give any stored salad a drain and a quick toss to refresh it.
Can I add other things to it?
Yes, Nigella treats chopped salad as a flexible template at home, so it welcomes additions as long as you keep everything diced small and even. Diced avocado, sweetcorn kernels, crumbled feta, cooked chickpeas or a little finely chopped red onion all work well and suit its Middle Eastern leaning.
Keep the balance of fresh vegetable, herb and that sweet-sharp pomegranate, and don’t overload it or it stops being a crisp, jumbled chopped salad. A sprinkle of sumac or toasted nuts adds another layer. Taste and adjust the lemon and salt at the end, since ripe tomatoes and good oil make a difference.
