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Morocco (Maghreb) · Moroccan

Zaalouk (Moroccan Smoky Eggplant and Tomato Salad)

A Moroccan cooked salad to love: charred eggplant and tomato melted down with garlic, cumin, paprika and coriander into a smoky, jammy dip. Scooped with bread, warm or at room temperature, on every Moroccan table.

By Table & Traditions Editors

Published June 24, 2026

A shallow dish of jammy red-brown Moroccan zaalouk made of mashed smoky eggplant and tomato flecked with green coriander, glossy with olive oil, crusty bread alongside for scooping.

Zaalouk is one of the classic Moroccan cooked salads (the family of small vegetable dishes served at the start of a meal), alongside taktouka and bakoula. It's a humble, everyday dish — eggplant and tomato cooked down with garlic and warm spices until jammy — eaten as a dip or side, scooped up with crusty bread. Like much Moroccan home cooking, it tastes even better the next day.

Yield
Serves 4 as a side
Prep
15 min
Cook
35 min
Total
50 min
Difficulty
Easy

Zaalouk is one of those humble dishes that quietly steals the meal — a Moroccan cooked salad of charred eggplant and tomato melted down with garlic, cumin, paprika and coriander into something smoky, jammy and deeply savoury. It belongs to the family of small cooked salads served at the start of a Moroccan meal, scooped up with crusty bread, and it’s everyday food that happens to be very hard to stop eating.

Smoke, then jam

Two stages give zaalouk its character. First the eggplant: char it whole over a flame or under the grill until the skin blackens and the flesh collapses, which is where the smoky depth comes from. (If you’d rather a cleaner, milder dip, peeling and simmering the eggplant works too.) Then the tomato base — cooked down with garlic and warm spices until thick — meets the chopped eggplant, and the two are simmered and mashed together until glossy and almost spreadable, with the oil just beginning to pool at the edges.

Bright at the finish, better tomorrow

All that long, low cooking builds depth, but it’s the finishing handful of fresh coriander and parsley and a squeeze of lemon that make zaalouk taste alive rather than merely rich. Serve it warm or at room temperature — never hot — drizzled with good olive oil and with plenty of bread. And if you can, make it a day ahead: like much Moroccan home cooking, it only gets better overnight.

For more of the Moroccan table, try harira and vegetable couscous, or browse the full recipe collection.

Ingredients

Serves
4

For the zaalouk

  • 2 large (about 700 g) eggplant / aubergine Roasted or charred for smokiness, or peeled and simmered for a smoother dip.
  • 4 ripe tomatoes, grated or chopped (skins discarded)
  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1.5 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp sweet paprika
  • 1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne or harissa, to taste
  • 1 large handful fresh coriander, chopped
  • 1 small handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • salt, to taste

To serve

  • crusty bread or warm flatbread

Method

Tap a step’s number to check it off as you go.

  1. Roast or char the eggplant whole over a flame or under the grill until collapsed and smoky, then scoop out the flesh and chop. (Or peel, cube and simmer it for a milder result.)

    Why: Charring the eggplant gives zaalouk its signature smoky depth; if you prefer a cleaner, smoother dip, simmering peeled cubes works too.

  2. Warm the olive oil and gently cook the garlic for a few seconds, then add the grated tomatoes, cumin, paprika and cayenne. Simmer 10 minutes until thick.

    Why: Cooking the tomato and spices down concentrates them into a rich, jammy base before the eggplant joins it.

  3. Add the chopped eggplant and cook, mashing with a fork or spoon, for 15-20 minutes until thick, glossy and almost spreadable.

    Why: Long, gentle cooking and mashing melds the eggplant and tomato into the characteristic jammy, cohesive texture; the oil should pool slightly at the edges.

  4. Stir in the herbs, lemon juice and salt. Taste and adjust the spice and acidity.

    Why: Fresh herbs and lemon at the end brighten the deep, cooked-down base; zaalouk should taste smoky, savoury and lively all at once.

  5. Serve warm or at room temperature, drizzled with olive oil, with bread for scooping.

    Why: Like most Moroccan cooked salads it's eaten warm or cool, never piping hot, and always scooped with bread rather than a fork.

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Variations

  • Taktouka

    Swap the eggplant for charred green peppers (or use both) to make zaalouk's close cousin, the pepper-and-tomato cooked salad.

  • Smoother dip

    Peel and simmer the eggplant rather than charring it, then mash well, for a milder, creamier version without the smoky note.

  • Extra-smoky

    Char the eggplant directly over a gas flame or barbecue until the skin blackens for the deepest smokiness.

Serving & Storage

Serve as part of a Moroccan salad course or meze, with crusty bread or flatbread for scooping. It's also excellent alongside grilled fish or a tagine, or spooned onto toast with a fried egg.

Pairs with: Crusty bread, Grilled fish, Moroccan salads, Mint tea.

Storage: Keeps 4 days refrigerated and improves overnight as the flavours deepen. Serve at room temperature or gently warmed; it freezes well too.

Nutrition

Per serving (1/4 recipe)

Calories
180
Protein
3 g
Carbs
14 g
Fat
13 g
Fiber
6 g
Sugar
8 g
Sodium
300 mg

Notable micronutrients: Vitamin C, Potassium, Vitamin A, Fiber

Estimated using standard ingredient data. Values vary with brands and substitutions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Roast or simmer the eggplant?

Charring or roasting gives zaalouk its trademark smoky flavour; peeling and simmering the eggplant gives a milder, smoother dip. Both are authentic — choose based on whether you want the smoke.

Is it served hot?

No — like Morocco's other cooked salads, zaalouk is eaten warm or at room temperature, not piping hot, and it tastes even better made a day ahead.

Dip, salad or side?

All three. Zaalouk is served as a starter salad, a side to grilled meat or fish, and a dip scooped with bread. Its jammy texture suits any of those roles.

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