Orange and Olive Salad

Michel Thouati

15 minutes active + 1 hour inactive

6 servings

Orange and olive salad in pink bowl

Orange and Olive Salad. Photo by Penny De Los Santos.

Orange and Olive Salad. Photo by Penny De Los Santos.

This bright and briny salad gets an extra punch of flavor from cumin seeds, sweet paprika, and cinnamon and fresh cilantro. In Michel Thouati’s family, it is part of a Passover spread that includes bone-in lamb shoulder braised with honey, artichokes, and peas, fish escabeche laced with fresh herbs, a salad with fennel and lettuce, and much more. The recipes are unique to a group of Sephardic Jews who have resided in the western Mediterranean for centuries, and while written with Passover in mind, they are welcome at any late winter or early spring table.

Ingredients

  • 4 navel oranges or any other orange, cut into segments (peel and pith removed) 
  • 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • ½ teaspoon ground cumin
  • ½ teaspoon whole cumin seeds
  • 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
  • 1 pinch ground coriander
  • 1 pinch ground Ceylan cinnamon or any other cinnamon
  • 1 cup salt cured black olives, pitted and roughly chopped 
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • Juice of ½ lemon
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • Fresh cilantro sprigs for garnish

Preparation

  1. Add all the ingredients into a mixing bowl and mix well. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
  2. Serve cold or at room temperature and garnish with a few sprigs of cilantro.

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