Avocado is back in season, hurray! This creamy fruit is delicious when enjoyed with the vinegary tang of pickled onion and the flavoursome texture provided by the dukkah.
Vegetarian | Gluten Free
Serves 6
INGREDIENTS
Salad
2 firm, ripe avocados, quartered, leaving skin in place
2 lebanese cucumber, halved lengthways and deseeded
1 ½ cups coriander, leaves picked, stalks reserved
½ cup mint leaves, torn
½ piece preserved lemon, julienne
¼ cup The Pickled Wife dukkah
Dressing
2 tbsp lemon Juice
¼ cup Great Southern Groves olive oil
4 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tbsp caster sugar
1 tbsp preserved lemon, finely diced
1 tbsp reserved coriander stalks, finely diced
½ tsp coarse sea salt
Quick Pickled Onion
½ red onion, thinly sliced in rounds
¼ cup white vinegar
1 tsp caster sugar
1 tsp boiling water
METHOD
Pickled Onions
To make pickling juice, in a small bowl, stir caster sugar into boiling water until dissolved. Add vinegar. Place finely sliced red onion into liquid and leave pickle (10 minutes at least)
Prepare Dressing
Combine all ingredients and give a quick whisk to mingle the flavours.
Prepare Salad
Pre-heat BBQ or grill pan and bring the plate to high heat.
Whilst the BBQ is heating, prepare cucumbers, herbs and dressing ready for assembling.
In a separate bowl, toss cucumber through 3 tbsp of salad dressing.
Drizzle avocado quarters lightly with oil and cook, cut side down, for 30 seconds to 1 minute or until lightly charred.
Turn and cook other side for a further minute.
Remove from heat, set aside and squeeze over a little lemon juice. Cool for 5 minutes, peel skin and discard.
To assemble salad, on your serving platter, dust half the dukkah across the base of the platter, layer with avocados, dressed cucumber, herbs and preserved lemon slices.
Dress salad with remaining dressing and sprinkle across remaining dukkah.
NOTES
This salad would combine superbly with grilled halloumi for a stand alone meal
When grilling any fruit or vegetable, the BBQ needs to be really hot to maintain a crispness to the fruit yet create the char marks which add the flavour. Give your grill a good amount of time to heat properly. The avocado in this salad responds best to a really high heat for a quick sear.
Recipe and styling by Kate Flower and photo by Nick Thake as featured in A Local Table cookbook by Kate Flower.