Herbed Barley and Courgette Salad

Inspired by the flavours of Morocco, this herbed barley and courgette salad is a special one! Full of chewy, tender barley, crunchy courgette, and refreshing cucumber and herbs, which are all held together with the bright, warm, earthy and refreshing chermoula dressing. It’s wonderful!

The contrasting textures are what makes this salad so fun to eat. Made with ingredients that are always there in my weekly veg box, this salad is bursting with zingy flavours of lemon and fresh herbs.

Barley provides a good range of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. And because it’s so fiber-rich, it is a great ingredient to use if you’re looking to looking to add volume to augment a meal. The courgettes are shredded into shoe strings, and then fried until they are light, crispy, and nearly impossible to resist. But seriously…fried zucchini, or zucchini frites, are probably one of my favourite sides, and when combined in a salad, they’re absolutely divine.

The herbs, cucumber, and spring onions lend crunch, texture and flavour to the mix, making this attractive and refreshing salad one that you’ll want to keep on eating.

How to Pick the Best Courgettes?

Courgettes are the main ingredient here, so you’ll want to make sure you pick the best. When shopping for courgettes, try to find small (6 to 9 inches in length) and relatively thin ones. The courgette should feel heavy for its size. The skin should look smooth, with a dark green colour, and be free of blemishes.

What Is Chermoula?

Chermoula is a Moroccan marinade of herbs and spices. With bright flavours from fresh herbs, lemon, and red pepper flakes, chermoula is the perfect sauce to add flavour to your salads or meals. Use it as a dip or marinade, stir into soups or Tagine, use it as a salad dressing, or spread it on your sandwiches. There are so many delicious ways to use this herby Moroccan sauce!

Chermoula pronounced as sher-moo-lah, is a popular North African condiment or sauce made of fresh herbs such as parsley and cilantro, with garlic, citrus and warm spices. It is somewhat similar in nature to chimichurri , the popular Argentinian hot sauce.

There are many variations of Chermoula sauce like green, red and yellow Chermoula. But all of them begin with a large amount of fresh parsley and coriander, which form the base of this rich, green condiment. Garlic and spices such as red pepper flakes, paprika, cumin, harissa (if you like it spicy) and saffron (if you have it), provide the North African warm flavours. A good chermoula recipe will also include citrus (I used preserved lemon) and a generous pour of extra virgin olive oil. The result is an unassuming green sauce with highly complex flavors that will delight your taste buds in the best way possible.

Traditionally, chermoula is made using a pestle and mortar to meld the flavors while keeping the condiment thick, textured, and not too smooth. I wanted it as a salad dressing so I used my food processor. Just a few pulses is all you need.

How to make this Herby Pearl Barley and Courgette Salad :

The pearl barley is first cooked in boiling water. To give this salad a hearty chewy bite, it is best to cook the pearl barley until it is al dente rather than completely soft. This should take around 30-35 mins.

The courgettes are shredded and spread on a kitchen towel for any water to be absorbed. Then you fry the shoe-string courgette in hot oil in batches until crispy, drain and remove on paper towel.

After the courgettes are fried you can start preparing the rest of the ingredients. Chop the parsley and mint finely, finely dice the cucumber, and chop the green onions.

To make the dressing, put all the ingredients of the dressing into a food processor except the olive oil and pulse. With the motor running add the olive oil.

Once the pearl barley is cooked, drain it well. Let it cool or refrigerate to cool. Toss the pearl barley with the herbs, spring onions and cucumber, add the dressing and mix well. Now add the fried courgettes, some salt and 1 tbsp of lemon juice and toss well altogether. Check the seasoning and add salt, pepper and extra lemon juice if needed.

Helpful tips and Tricks to make Herbed Barley Courgette salad:

• Try cooking pearl barley with vegetable broth instead of water for extra flavour. Drain any excess water after cooking and allow it to rest for 15 minutes in the pot, covered. This allows it to steams and absorb any remaining liquid. Fluff as you would rice for the perfect texture.
• The cooked barley and Chermoula dressing can be refrigerated separately for up to 3 days. To serve, bring barley and dressing to room temperature. Stir and mix the dressing well.
• The recipe will yield 1 cup dressing. The leftover dressing can be used as marinade for vegetables or dressing for any other salad.
• You can dress the salad and keep for uptown 2-3 hours just add the courgettes fries before serving.
• If you don’t have saffron, omit it. Saffron is a nice addition, but not the most essential so if you don’t have it omit it.
• Preserved Lemon add a citrusy and lemony flavour to the dressing. You can substitute it with 1 tbsp extra lemon juice and zest of 1 lemon.

If you tried this Pearl Barley & Courgette Salad or any other recipe on the blog let me know how you liked it by leaving a comment/rating below! Be sure to follow along on Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook for even more amazing recipes!

.

Herby Pearl Barley and Courgette Salad

Serves: 6 Prep Time: 20 Minutes Cooking Time: 40 Minutes 40 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 3 voted )

Pin

Print

Ingredients

For the Salad

• ½ cup uncooked pearl barley
• 600 g courgettes, dark green ones
•  ¾ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
• ½ cup fresh mint, finely chopped
• 1 Persian cucumber, finely diced (½ cup)
• 3 green onions, finely chopped (½ cup)
• Olive oil for frying

For the Chermoula Dressing

• 1.5 cup fresh coriander, roughly chopped 
• 1 cup fresh parsley, roughly chopped 
• 4 clove garlic
• 1 small preserved lemon, seeds removed
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp harissa paste (optional)
• 2 tsp cumin powder
• ¼ tsp saffron threads
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp water
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• salt and black pepper to taste

method

1. Put the pearl barley in a medium saucepan and wash with water 2-3 time. Drain and fill with fresh water or vegetable stock. Place over high heat and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and let cook for 30-35 minutes, or until tender. Drain the pearl barley and spread it out on a tray to cool or refrigerate until cold.
2. Cut each courgette with the spiralizer, discarding the middle part with the seeds. If too long, cut to 20-30 cm length. Spread on a kitchen towel to remove any water. 
3. Set a deep fryer or a medium to large frying pot over high heat, if you have a thermometer try to reach 190°C. Fry them in batches until nicely browned and crispy. As no flour is used and since courgette have a lot of water content, it will take some time until they get browned and crispy. Remove the fried courgettes with a metal slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper towel. Alternatively, heat 2-3 tbsp of olive oil in a shallow frying pan oven medium-high heat , cook the courgettes in small batches until crisp and golden brown. Drain on a paper towel.
4. Put the pearl barley with the prepared herbs and veggies. Add 4 tbsp of the dressing and mix well to combine. Just before serving, add the fried courgettes. Season with salt and lemon juice. Taste and add more dressing as required.
5. Garnish with mint leaves and serve immediately.

For the Dressing

1. In the bowl of a large food processor, add the herbs, garlic, preserved lemon spices, saffron threads, and a big pinch of salt.
2. Run the food processor to combine, and while it is running, drizzle the olive oil from the top opener. Don't over-process it, it should have a little texture to it at the end.
3. Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking.

Did You Make This Recipe?

If you did, take a picture and tag me on Instagram at @poetryofspices!