Crispy Cauliflower Salad in a Tahini Lemon Sauce

Topped with a Fresh Cilantro Gremolata & Hazelnuts

One of my favorite things growing up is eating the cauliflower my mom fried for ma’loubeh (an upside down rice, and veggies dish). Although I love love fried cauliflower but not a fan of frying anything at home. Frying somehow makes your home. So I baked these cauliflower in my air fryer for crispy results without using much oil. The cauliflower turned out so crispy with only 2 tsp of oil and cooked so fast. So here we go I present to you a Crispy cauliflower salad with a Tahini lemon dressing topped with a bright and fresh cilantro and hazelnuts gremolata sauce. Its a perfect salad or even a side dish. I usually love to stuff this in a pita but serving this with grilled salmon for a family dinner.

Crispy cauliflower salad with a Tahini lemon sauce and topped with a fresh cilantro and toasted hazelnuts Gremolata.

Ingredients

For the Cauliflower:

  • 1 large head cauliflower, cut into bite-size florets

  • 2 tsp - up to 1 tbls olive oil depending on the size of your cauliflower

  • 1 tsp coriander

  • 1 tsp smoked paprika

  • 1/4 tsp turmeric

  • salt and pepper

For the Cilantro Gremolata:

  • 1 cup packed Fresh cilantro stems removed

  • 1–2 garlic cloves

  • Zest of one small lemon, plus its juice

  • 1/4 cup olive oil

  • Salt and pepper to taste

  • pinch Aleppo peppers

  • 3 tbls of toasted hazelnuts roughly chopped

For the Tahini sauce:

  • 1-2 garlic cloves mashed

  • 1/2 cup Tahini (sesame paste)

  • Juice of one or two lemons

  • Salt

  • Water, 1 tbsp at a time

Steps

  1. Cut the cauliflower into bite size florets, toss with the spices and oil to combine.

  2. Place your seasoned cauliflower in your air fryer. Set it on 400 degrees for 25 minutes. Flipping them once after the first 15 minutes.

To make the Cilantro Gremolata:

  1. Finely chop your cilantro

  2. Grate your garlic

  3. Add oil, salt & pepper, lemon zest, Aleppo peppers and lemon juice.

  4. Mix all together in a bowl

  5. Add in your toasted hazelnuts

  6. Store in a jar in the fridge for up to 1 week.

** You can make this recipe in a food processor but pulse so it doesn’t turn into a paste and add your zest and hazelnuts at the end.

To make the Tahini Sauce:

  1. I like to add all the ingredients to a tight jar and shake until well blended. The sauce will appear so thick at first, so dilute the sauce with water adding one tbsp at a time until you get the desired (drizzlable) consistency. All ingredients can be adjusted to your liking, but we are looking for a drizzlable consistency.

To assemble:

  1. Drizzle your tahini sauce at the bottom of your serving plate.

  2. Top with your crispy cauliflower.

  3. Top with the cilantro gremolata and extra crunchy hazelnuts.