Skip to content
Marrakech.Cooking
Salad

Moroccan Taktouka (Roasted Pepper and Tomato Salad)

A smoky Moroccan cooked salad of roasted peppers and tomatoes, the classic companion to zaalouk.

Prep

15 minutes

Cook

25 minutes

Servings

4

Difficulty

Easy

Taktouka is the natural partner to zaalouk on a Moroccan table — where zaalouk is built on eggplant, taktouka uses roasted green peppers as its base, cooked down with tomatoes, garlic and the same warm cumin-paprika spicing found throughout Moroccan salads.

The key step is properly charring the peppers rather than lightly roasting them. A genuinely blackened skin, steamed briefly to loosen it before peeling, is what gives the finished salad its smoky depth — skipping this step produces a flatter-tasting result.

Like most Moroccan cooked salads, taktouka is meant to be scooped up with bread rather than eaten with a fork, and it’s commonly served as one of several small starter dishes at the beginning of a meal.

Ingredients

  • 4 green bell peppers
  • 3 tomatoes, grated or finely chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/2 tsp sweet paprika
  • Pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
  • Salt, to taste
  • Small bunch fresh coriander, chopped

Instructions

  1. 1

    Roast or char the peppers directly over a flame or under a hot grill until the skins blister and blacken, turning occasionally.

  2. 2

    Place the charred peppers in a covered bowl for 10 minutes to steam, which makes peeling easier.

  3. 3

    Peel off the blackened skin, remove the seeds, and chop the flesh into small pieces.

  4. 4

    Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook briefly until fragrant.

  5. 5

    Add the grated tomatoes, cumin, paprika, cayenne (if using) and salt. Simmer for 8-10 minutes until thickened.

  6. 6

    Stir in the chopped roasted peppers and cook for a further 8-10 minutes, until the mixture is thick and well combined.

  7. 7

    Stir in the fresh coriander and adjust seasoning to taste.

  8. 8

    Serve warm or at room temperature with bread, often alongside zaalouk.

Tips

  • Charring the peppers properly (until genuinely blackened, not just lightly roasted) is what gives taktouka its smoky character.
  • Taktouka and zaalouk are traditionally served together as a pair of contrasting salads — one is pepper-based, one eggplant-based.
  • Like zaalouk, this keeps well in the fridge for a few days.

Questions About This Recipe

What's the difference between taktouka and zaalouk?

Taktouka is made with roasted peppers as its base, while zaalouk is built around eggplant. Both use a similar tomato, garlic and cumin-based cooking method, and they're often served together as a pair of Moroccan starter salads.

Learn to Make This in Marrakech