Taktouka — Moroccan Roasted Pepper and Tomato Salad
Charred green peppers and tomato simmered with garlic and paprika into a soft, sweet cooked salad eaten with bread.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 35 min
- Total
- 55 min
- Serves
- 6
- Difficulty
- Easy
Taktouka is zaalouk's partner on the meze table: green peppers blistered until their skins lift, then cooked down with tomato, garlic and a generous amount of olive oil.
The charring is not optional. It is what turns a plain pepper and tomato stew into taktouka, adding the faint bitterness that balances the sweetness of the tomato.
In Morocco it is often served alongside grilled fish or kefta, but a bowl of it with warm khobz makes a perfectly good lunch.
Ingredients
Makes 6 servings
Instructions
Char the peppers
Grill the peppers whole under a hot grill, on a gas flame or in a dry pan, turning until the skins blister and blacken all over. This takes about 10 minutes.
Steam and peel
Put them straight into a bowl and cover with a plate for 10 minutes. The trapped steam loosens the skins. Peel, seed and tear the flesh into strips.
Start the tomatoes
Warm the olive oil in a wide pan over a medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, then add the tomatoes, paprika, cumin and salt. Simmer for 15 minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated.
Add the peppers
Stir in the pepper strips and cook for another 10 to 15 minutes, crushing lightly with a wooden spoon, until thick and glossy and the oil separates at the edges.
Finish and serve
Taste for salt, add the pinch of sugar if the tomatoes need it, and stir through the parsley. Serve warm or at room temperature with bread.
Cook’s notes
- A mix of green and red peppers makes a sweeter, brighter taktouka. Purists use green only.
- Some cooks add a chopped preserved lemon rind at the end — worth trying if you have a jar open.
- Keeps 4 days in the fridge and freezes for 2 months.
Recipe information
- Prep time
- 20 min
- Cook time
- 35 min
- Total time
- 55 min
- Servings
- 6
- Calories
- 140 kcal per serving
- Cuisine
- Moroccan
- Course
- Salad
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Keywords
- taktouka, moroccan pepper salad, taktouka recipe, moroccan roasted pepper tomato salad
Nutrition is an estimate per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Values vary with brands, cuts and portion size.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use jarred roasted peppers?
Is taktouka spicy?
What do you serve taktouka with?
More Moroccan recipes
Moroccan Carrot Salad with Cumin and Garlic
Carrots barely softened, then dressed warm with garlic, cumin, paprika and lemon so they take up the flavour as they cool.
Zaalouk — Moroccan Smoky Aubergine and Tomato Salad
Aubergine and tomato cooked down with garlic, cumin and paprika until jammy and smoky, served warm or cold with bread.
Moroccan Vegetable Tagine with Chickpeas
Root vegetables, chickpeas and apricots layered in a tagine with ginger, turmeric and preserved lemon, cooked until the sauce thickens around them.
Moroccan Avocado Smoothie — Jus d'Avocat
The thick, cold avocado and milk drink sold at every Moroccan juice bar, sweetened with dates and dusted with cinnamon.