Preserved lemon makes this zucchini and pea salad pop
One secret to making interesting plant-based dishes is to include quick-pickled or fermented ingredients - miso, kimchi, vinegar and the like - for their ability to add both depth and brightness. Preserved lemons, a staple of Middle Eastern and Moroccan cooking, are a champion of this category. They cut through richness like nobody's business while also bringing salt to the party, which makes them an all-in-one seasoning powerhouse.
Without preserved lemons, I'm afraid, Zucchini, Pea and Spinach Salad from Sabrina Ghayour's new cookbook might be ho-hum, a jumble of grated zucchini, peas and baby spinach that no amount of plain salt could make interesting. But its dressing, which you make from a whole preserved lemon (rind, flesh and all) and olive oil - plus a little crushed toasted coriander seed and a few generous grinds of black pepper - turn it positively craveable. A little feta and some pumpkin seeds offer creamy richness and crunch, respectively.
If you haven't made preserved lemons before, it's high time you got in the habit. You'll be so happy to have them around (pro tip: try them in your next batch of hummus), and they keep for months in the fridge. But because they've gotten easier to find in stores - in jars or sometimes offered in bulk at the olive bar - you don't have to wait for your own to cure before making this salad.