A bright and zesty tahini salad dressing featuring preserved lemons. Drizzle it over a simple green chopped salad or grain based salad.

The Result of a Flavour Experiment

I’m always experimenting with different ingredients, cuisines, and flavours. Sometimes the results are not so great, most of the time it’s edible, but on occasion…it’s amazing! That’s how I felt about the recent Wild Rice Asparagus Salad I made. There were so many delicious Spring flavours in this salad, I wanted a dressing that could really make them shine. 

Preserved Lemon Tahini Salad Dressing

Spring is so inspiring…from the fresh air and sunshine to the first appearance of greens and vegetables. Asparagus season will soon be here, and I’m anticipating those first sweet stalks of Spring. Asparagus is really great on it’s own, just roasted in the oven. However, it really shines with the addition of lemon. In this tahini salad dressing, salty preserved lemons mingle with the nutty flavour of tahini and sweet Spring Asparagus. 

What Are Preserved Lemons?

In short, Preserved Lemons are lemons that have been preserved using in a brine of water, lemon juice, salt, and sometimes spices. During the process, lemons are halved or quartered, then added to a jar with the remainder of the ingredients. This mixture sits fermenting for some time before being used in South Asian and North African cuisines. The preserved peel is mildly tart and very lemony which gives this tahini salad dressing a nice citrus kick. 

So What the Heck is Tahini?

Tahini, or tahina, is a condiment made from toasted ground sesame seeds. It has a sweet, nutty flavour but can be quite bitter when rancid. Always taste test your tahini before using because it can really throw off the flavour of your dressing if it is bad. It is recommended to keep tahini in the fridge. 

Great Salads from Dish ‘n’ the Kitchen

Grilled Peach Fruit Salad with Burrata and Lime Vinaigrette 

Pin it HERE.

Yield: 3/4 cup

Preserved Lemon Tahini Dressing

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A bright and unique dressing featuring creamy tahini, preserved lemon, and sumac.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Total Time 5 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 cloves garlic; minced
• 1 tbsp tahini
• 1 lemon; zested and juiced
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1/2 tsp sumac
• 1 small preserved meyer lemon or 1/2 regular preserved lemon; chopped
• 2-4 tbsp olive oil

Instructions

1. Add all ingredients and only 2 tbsp olive oil to blender.
2. Process, then drizzle in rest of oil as needed.
3. Taste and season accordingly.
4. Serve with extra fresh lemon juice, if desired.