Moroccan · Salad
Wilted Spinach and Preserved Lemon Salad
A cooked-greens salad in the spirit of bakoula but made with spinach — wilted down with garlic, olive oil, cumin and paprika, then sharpened with chopped preserved lemon and olives. It reduces to a dense, savoury tangle you eat cool with bread, tangy and iron-rich.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Total
- 30 min
- Serves
- 4
- Level
- Easy
Ingredients
- 600 g spinach, washed
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1/4 preserved lemon, chopped
- Handful violet or black olives
- 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp paprika, pinch chilli
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 4 tbsp olive oil, salt
Method
- 1
Wilt the spinach
Wilt the spinach in a dry pan or with a splash of water, then drain and squeeze out the excess liquid and chop.
- 2
Fry the garlic
Warm the olive oil, add the garlic, cumin, paprika and chilli and cook 1 minute until fragrant.
- 3
Combine
Add the chopped spinach and cook 8–10 minutes, stirring, until dense and any liquid has cooked away.
- 4
Finish
Stir in the preserved lemon, olives and lemon juice, season and serve cool or at room temperature.
Chef's tips
- Squeeze the wilted spinach hard — wet greens make a bland, watery salad.
- Cook it down until it is dense and jammy; the reduction is where the flavour concentrates.
Frequently asked questions
Is this the same as bakoula?
Bakoula uses wild mallow leaves; this is the everyday spinach stand-in with the same garlic-cumin-preserved-lemon treatment.
Can I mix greens?
Yes — a blend of spinach, chard and coriander is delicious and closer to the wild-greens original.