This salad was a suggested side dish for a wonderful Baked Cod with Lemon and Garlic entrée we recently made, and what a perfect pairing it was!
This chickpea salad hits all the right notes—crunchy, briny, salty, tangy, and a little bit sweet from the bell pepper (which we used a whole, as opposed to just a half of). Think of it as a “kitchen sink” type of salad, because you can really throw in a variety of produce that’s hanging out in your fridge—grated carrots, chopped zucchini, different herbs.
And go ahead and roughly chop the celery leaves and toss them into the salad, too; they add a sharper celery flavor and another layer of texture. It makes a great side dish for grilled chicken or fish, but you can indulge straight as a light yet filling meal, too.
Mediterranean Chickpea Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cans chickpeas, (15.5-oz.) drained and rinsed
- 4 stalks celery, cut into a small dice
- 1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
- 1/2 red onion, cut into a small dice
- 1 red bell pepper, cut into a small dice
- 1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
- 1 1/2 tsp. cumin
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 lemon, juiced
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
In a large bowl, combine the chickpeas, celery, parsley, onion, red pepper, and olives. Combine cumin, olive oil, and lemon juice, mix well, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss with salad ingredients and serve.
Adapted from a recipe by Maggie Shi for The Mediterranean Dish
Accounting for Taste 