Salads & cooked mezze
Chlada Felfla (Grilled Green Pepper & Tomato Salad)
شلاضة الفلفلة · shlada felfla
Chlada felfla is a cooked salad of grilled green peppers, their skins charred and peeled away for sweetness and smoke, tossed with chopped tomato, garlic, olive oil and often preserved lemon. Fresher and lighter than the jammy tomato salads, it brings a smoky, tangy note to the Moroccan mezze table.
- Origin
- Across Morocco
- Type
- Cooked salad / mezze
- Eaten at
- Starter, mezze, with grills
- Key flavour
- Grilled pepper, tomato, garlic, preserved lemon
What Chlada Felfla is
Green peppers are grilled or roasted until blistered, then peeled and torn or chopped, and mixed with diced tomato, garlic, olive oil and lemon, often with a little chopped preserved lemon and herbs.
Charring and peeling the peppers removes bitterness and skin while adding smoke and sweetness, giving a salad that is soft, savoury and refreshingly tangy.
Origin & story
Grilled-pepper salads are a Mediterranean-wide idea that Morocco makes its own with garlic, preserved lemon and the chermoula palette, serving them among the little cooked salads that open a meal.
It is everyday cooking that shines in summer when peppers and tomatoes are at their best, and a natural side for grilled meats and fish.
Key ingredients at a glance
- Green peppers, grilled and peeled
- Ripe tomatoes
- Garlic
- Preserved lemon (optional)
- Olive oil and lemon juice
- Cumin and paprika
- Parsley and coriander
This is a flavour snapshot, not a recipe.
When & how it's eaten
Served cool as part of a mixed cooked-salad starter, scooped with bread; it is a fresh, smoky counterpoint to heavier tagines and grills.
It pairs especially well with grilled fish and brochettes, cutting their richness.
Regional variations
Some versions add chilli for heat or olives for brine; the tomato may be raw and fresh or lightly cooked. Red peppers can join or replace the green.
It is a lighter cousin of matbucha and taktouka within Morocco's pepper-salad family.
Where to try it in Marrakech
Common among the starter salads at traditional restaurants and grills; a souk-to-table food tour is a good way to meet the mezze range.
Learn the grilled-pepper salad in a Moroccan salads and mezze class and read more in the guides.
Frequently asked questions
Why are the peppers grilled and peeled?
Charring the peppers and removing the skins takes away bitterness and toughness while adding a sweet, smoky flavour to the salad.
Is chlada felfla spicy?
It is usually mild and smoky, though chilli can be added; it is more about tang and freshness than heat.
What does it go with?
It works as a starter with bread and as a fresh side for grilled fish, brochettes and tagines.