By:Nagi
38 Comments
This is a Roasted Cauliflower Salad from Yotam Ottolenghi’s popular cookbook, Jerusalem. A unique combination of ingredients comes together in a salad that’s just 100% yum: celery, hazelnuts, lots of parsley with a subtly spiced dressing. It’s seriously delicious!
Welcome to Day 16 of the inauguralHoliday Salad Marathon, where I’m sharing 30 salads in a row through to Christmas Eve. Something different to the usual sugar-loaded baking countdowns!!
Today, we’re cauliflowering:
Roasted Cauliflower Salad
I first shared this Cauliflower Salad way back when I started this website in 2014. It’s a recipe by Yotam Ottolenghi, from his wildly popular cookbook Jerusalem which I recently admitted I was embarrassed to rate as my #1 cookbook because it’s soooooo obvious. I really hoped to share something more groundbreaking as my most-used cookbook, but alas no. 😂
But, it is worthy in its place as #1, and this cauliflower salad recipe is a good example why. Unique combination but simple, and very, very delicious.
Cauliflower is a sensational vegetable to roast, transforming from bland and dry to sweet and juicy. When hot, it’s also a sponge for flavour which makes it a terrific ingredient for salads as it absorbs the flavour of dressings.
Ottolenghi’s Cauliflower Salad ingredients
Here’s what you need to make this salad:
A couple of useful “Good To Know” tutorials might help out here:
How I cut cauliflower florets quickly & efficiently with minimal mess!
How to remove pomegranate seeds – contained in this Pomegranate Salad recipe (there’s fun factor involved!)
And though I do provide directions for how to roast the cauliflower, if you’d like to see a (short!) tutorial video it’s contained in a separate Roasted Cauliflower recipe (along with an extra flavouring option – Parmesan Crunch!!)
While this has Middle Eastern roots, the spicing in this is quite subtle so don’t just restrict yourself to serving this alongside Arabic and Persian foods. It would be just as at home at a backyard BBQ as it would a blow out Arabian Nights Feast.
Light enough to be a side dish alongside grand roasts, yet substantial and certainly interesting enough to have as a meal in itself.
Try it. It will surprise you! – Nagi x
What is the Holiday Salad Marathon?
This is my inaugural Christmas recipe countdown where I am sharing 30 salad recipes in a row until Christmas Eve – something completely different to people’s usual baking countdowns!
These salads are in addition to my regular 3 new recipes a week. Because aren’t you bored of the usual tomato-cucumber-lettuce garden salad routine??
Click here to see all the Holiday Salad Marathon recipes to date, or sign up for instant updatesand you’ll receive a free email alert whenever I publish a new salad! 🙂
Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.
Yotam Ottolenghi’s Cauliflower Salad
Author: Nagi | RecipeTin Eats
Prep: 10 minutes mins
Cook: 30 minutes mins
Total: 40 minutes mins
Salad
Middle Eastern
5 from 11 votes
Servings5 as side
Tap or hover to scale
From his famous cookbook "Jerusalem", this salad is classic Ottolenghi: simple but a unique combination, and 100% yum. If you only try one cauliflower salad in your life, make it this one!
Handy related recipes: How to cut cauliflower florets quickly & neatly, and Roasted Cauliflower.
Ingredients
Roasted Cauliflower
- 1 large cauliflower or 2 small , cut/broken into florets (~650g / 1.3 lb florets)
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
Salad:
- 1 celery stalk , cut into 0.5cm / 0.3" slices on the diagonal
- 1/3 cup hazelnuts , raw, skin on
- 1/2 pomegranate , seeds only (~1/3 cup)
- 1 cup parsley leaves , lightly packed
Dressing
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/3 tsp cinnamon powder (Note 2)
- 1/3 tsp allspice (Note 2)
- 1 tbsp sherry vinegar
- 1 1/2 tsp maple syrup (or honey or golden syrup)
- 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper
Instructions
Roast Cauliflower:
Preheat oven to 220°C/425°F (200°C fan).
Toss cauliflower with oil, salt and pepper. Spread on tray, roast 20 minutes, turn, then roast for a further 5 to 10 minutes until the edges are golden brown and the cauliflower is cooked through. Don't let it get overcooked, sad and soggy!
Transfer to bowl and let cool for 20 minutes.
Toast Hazelnuts:
Turn oven down to 160°C/320°F (140°C fan). Spread hazelnuts on tray then roast for 5 minutes until they smell amazing.
Cool slightly, then roughly chop (most skin will naturally fall off).
Salad:
Place hazelnuts, parsley and celery into the bowl. Sprinkle over cinnamon, allspice, salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil, maply syrup and vinegar. Toss gently with hands or rubber spatula.
Plate up: Taste, add more salt or pepper if needed. Transfer to serving bowl. Scatter over pomegranates. Serve at room temperature.
Recipe Notes:
1. This is the “Roasted Cauliflower & Hazelnut Salad” from Yotam Ottolenghi’s cookbook Jerusalem.The only amendment I made was to reduce the total amount of oil used from 5 tablespoons down to 4 tablespoons.
2. 1/3 teaspoon is not a standard spoon measure. Just use a slightly heaped 1/4 teaspoon, or 2/3 of a 1/2 teaspoon.
3. Did you buy celery especially to make this and now you’re left with most of the bunch? Make this Leftover Celery Salad!
4. Best served on the day of making, but still very, very good the next day. Always serve at room temp, never fridge cold!
5. Nutrition per serving.
Nutrition Information:
Calories: 178cal (9%)Carbohydrates: 9g (3%)Protein: 4g (8%)Fat: 15g (23%)Saturated Fat: 2g (13%)Sodium: 393mg (17%)Potassium: 466mg (13%)Fiber: 3g (13%)Sugar: 4g (4%)Vitamin A: 1011IU (20%)Vitamin C: 74mg (90%)Calcium: 52mg (5%)Iron: 2mg (11%)
Keywords: cauliflower salad, roasted cauliflower salad
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @recipe_tin.
Originally published June 2014. Updated with much needed new photos and tidied up the recipe writing in December 2020!
More cauliflower recipes
How to cut cauliflower florets – quickly with less mess!
Cauliflower Cheese
Roasted Cauliflower
Roasted Parmesan Crusted Cauliflower
Garlic Butter Cauliflower Pasta with Pangrattato
Roasted Cauliflower with Almond Sauce (Ester Restaurant)
Creamy, Dreamy Cauliflower Soup
Chipotle Lime Roasted Cauliflower
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Reader Interactions
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38 Comments
Tracey saysWow! What a flavour sensation. Will definitely become a regular menu item.
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- Margaret says
10/10 So tasty…. will definately be making again.Reply
- Dana Rich says
Delicious. I used airfryer to roast cauliflower and toast nuts. So quick, easy and flavourful!Reply
- afdah tv net says
Thanks for sharing this great post. Keep Going.- Nagi says
He is one of the BEST! N x
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- Ewa says
I don’t like celery what else can you use.
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- Deb says
Me too! I thought I was the only one. I’m thinking of substituting raw zucchini or even green apple?
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- Margaret Delbridge says
Yum, what a delicious salad.
I used orange segments instead of pomegranate, almonds instead of hazel nuts, 1/2 and 1/2 red wine vinegar and apple cider vinegar (I thought I was out of Sherry vinegar, actually I just didn’t look far enough back in the pantry:) ).
Served with pork chops baked with caramelised onion & cheddar topping.Reply
- Tui says
Thanks I will use those ingredients instead 😀
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- Kris says
Absolutely D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S ! Thankyou Nagi ! Is it too obvious I cook your recipes everyday ?Reply
- www.o2tvmovies. com says
Thanks for sharing this and keep posting good content.
Reply
- jackie says
Made this salad for a family BBQ and everybody loved it. Made exactly to recipe.
Thanks for another great recipe Nagi.Reply
- Preets says
Hey Nagi. What nuts could I substitute for hazelnuts? Hate them 🙊 And almonds too 🙈 ps You’re Vietnamese Chicken Salad is amazing! Making it tomorrow…again 😁
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- Nagi says
Hi Preets, try macadamias or even pecans! They will work nicely here! N x
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- Preets says
Thanks!
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- Izabela says
Thank you for another delicious recipe, Nagi! I love roasted cauliflower so one more way to serve it is just what I needed.
I was a little unsure about the celery but it actually complemented other flavors very nicely. I used toasted almonds instead of hazelnuts.
It was so good that I already put cauliflower on my shopping list, there will be a repeat 😁Reply
- Sue says
This dish is sooo good! Even my non veggie lovers liked it!Thinki might have to invest in the cookbook!
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- Leah says
That cookbook is amazing. I’ve wanted to make this recipe, but I’m on a budget..I love pomegranates, the taste, the color, the appearance, but where I live they cost a ton. Any thoughts on substitutes? Thanks 🙂 And awesome website! You’re killing it!
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- Msmoo says
Leah try dried cranberries, these ares sweet and tart.
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- Sharon McKay says
Made this for Christmas dinner – it was very good. There is so much cooking of everything else that it was nice to have a good salad that could be made beforehand. A good recipe for cauliflower.Reply
- Anna says
Wow, so delicious and tasty.
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- Elise says
Hi Nagi, planning to take this to Christmas lunch! I’m just wondering if I should dress it at home or wait until we arrive? I would usually wait so things don’t get soggy but you mention the cauliflower absorbing flavour better when hot – would love any advice!
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- Nagi says
Dress it! This salad is even better on day two! N x
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- Nicki says
Another winning recipe Nagi. This salad was so fresh and delicious, perfect for dinner on a hot muggy Sydney day. Didn’t have hazelnuts so used flaked almonds instead – worked well.Reply
- TRACEY AGARD says
Hi Nagi,
I made this salad this afternoon without celery but it still tasted delicious! All your recipes are so good. Thanks so much for the variety of dishes and the videos are a real blessing too!Reply
- Mary says
I paired this salad with lamb for dinner and I absolutely loved as did my husbandReply
- Charlotte Tang says
Hi Nagi, can l replace the sherry vinegar with apple cider vinegar?
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- Charlotte Tang says
Thanks.
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- Nagi says
Hi Charlotte, yes that or red whine vinegar will work well. N x
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