Roasted cauliflower salad with pomegranate seeds, herbs and dukkah is one of the best ways to eat cauliflower there is. This delicious salad is equally good as a side dish or combined with grains for a healthy main course. Suitable for vegetarians and vegans.
Roasted cauliflower is one of my favourite ingredients.
Cooking it in the oven, rather than boiling or steaming it, does something magical to cauliflower.
Crispy on the outside, perfectly soft on the inside and with a delicious flavour, roasted cauliflower deserves a place on your favourite ingredients list too.
And when combined with fresh pomegranate seeds, spiced dukkah, fresh herbs and sweet pomegranate molasses roasted cauliflower makes a truly delicious salad that you'll want to make time and time again.
How to roast cauliflower
If you haven't tried roasted cauliflower yet then you're in for a real treat.
It's really easy to roast your cauliflower.
- Break into florets
- Drizzle with olive oil
- Add a teaspoon of fennel seeds if you like
- And some sea salt
- Roast in a preheated oven for 20 minutes
- Stir and return to the oven for a further 20 minutes.
What is dukkah?
Dukkah is an Egyptian blend of spices and nuts that is utterly delicious when sprinkled over this salad.
It's made of toasted hazelnuts, cumin, fennel, coriander, sesame seeds, salt and pepper.
The toasted spices, nuts and seeds are ground together into a condiment that is delicious sprinkled over salads, dips, soups etc.
What ingredients do you need for this salad
For full ingredients list, quantities and instructions see recipe card at the end of this post.
You will need the following ingredients to make this roasted cauliflower salad:
- Cauliflower
- Fennel seeds
- Olive oil
- Hazelnuts
- Cumin seeds
- Coriander seeds
- Sesame seeds
- Apple cider vinegar
- Olive oil
- Maple syrup
- Pomegranate seeds
- Flat leaf parsley, chopped
- Pomegranate molasses, optional
- Sea salt and black pepper
Can this cauliflower salad be made in advance?
This salad is best eaten straight after adding the dressing. If you want to make it in advance prepare the separate elements and store the cauliflower and the dressing in the fridge.
When you're ready to serve add the dressing and finish off the salad.
Dishes that go well with cauliflower salad
This roasted cauliflower salad is delicious enough to make a light meal on its own. If you want to make it more filling you could serve it with some bulgur wheat, couscous, quinoa or another grain.
It's also delicious as part of a mezze with dishes such as:
How to make roasted cauliflower salad with pomegranate and dukkah
If you have made this recipe and loved it please consider leaving a comment and rating below.
Roasted cauliflower salad with pomegranate
Ingredients
For the roasted cauliflower
- 1 medium cauliflower
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- pinch sea salt
For the dukkah
- 25 g hazelnuts
- ½ tablespoon cumin seeds
- ½ tablespoon fennel seeds
- ½ tablespoon coriander seeds
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- sea salt and black pepper
For the dressing
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- pinch sea salt
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
For the salad
- 50 g pomegranate seeds
- 20 g flatleaf parsley chopped
- 2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses optional
Instructions
To roast the cauliflower
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/200°C/gas mark 6.
- Break the cauliflower into florets and place in a baking tray.
- If you like you can also roast the cauliflower leaves. Discard any damaged ones, otherwise add them to the roasting dish with the cauliflower (you may wish to chop up larger leaves).
- Drizzle with a tablespoon of olive oil and a teaspoon of fennel seeds then season with a pinch of sea salt.
- Mix well then roast for 20 minutes.
- Turn the florets over and remove any smaller leaves or pieces that are in danger of burning.
- Return to the oven for a further 20 minutes or until cooked.
- Remove and allow to cool to room temperature.
To make the dukkah
- Once the cauliflower is cooked reduce the oven heat to 160°C (fan)/ 180°C/gas mark 5.
- Place 25g hazelnuts on a small baking tray with ½ tablespoon cumin seeds, ½ fennel seeds, ½ tablespoon coriander seeds and 1 tablespoon sesame seeds.
- Roast on a baking tray for 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and put in a food processor, process until chopped but still chunky.
To make the dressing
- Mix a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar together with a tablespoon of olive oil, a teaspoon of maple syrup and a pinch of sea salt. Mix well with a fork and set aside.
To serve
- Place your cooled cauliflower florets into a salad bowl and mix with the dressing.
- Sprinkle over the dukkah, the pomegranate seeds and the chopped parsley.
- Drizzle pomegranate molasses over the top if liked.
Nutrition
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