Taktouka is a traditional Moroccan cooked salad and spread of tomatoes, bell peppers, garlic, and paprika, popular year-round and served as part of a mezze.
Soft, jammy, and slick with olive oil, it carries the sweet smokiness of roasted peppers against tangy stewed tomato. Garlic and paprika give it a gentle, savory warmth that deepens the longer it sits.
Charring the peppers caramelizes their sugars and adds smoke, while slow stewing concentrates the tomatoes into a thick, sweet base. The two melt together into a soft, spreadable relish as moisture cooks off.
Variations
with hot chili pepper, with cumin-forward seasoning, topped with a fried egg, with preserved lemon, smoother pureed versions
On the Palate
Where Taktouka sits in the Moroccan flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 4
How it's made
8 steps · 20 min
- 18 min
Char the green peppers directly over a flame or under a broiler until the skins blister and blacken.
Watch outChar the peppers until the skins are blistered and black in patches — you want the smoke and the loose skin, so don't stop at merely soft.
- 26 min
Place the peppers in a covered bowl to steam, then peel, seed, and chop them.
- 34 min
Peel and chop the tomatoes, discarding excess seeds and liquid.
- 42 min
Warm olive oil in a pan and add minced garlic until fragrant.
- 58 min
Add the chopped tomatoes, paprika, cumin, and salt, and cook down into a thick sauce.
Watch outCook the tomatoes down until the water's gone and a spoon dragged through leaves a trail — thin and watery here means a runny relish.
- 65 min
Stir in the roasted peppers and simmer until the mixture is soft and jammy.
Watch outIt's ready when it turns jammy and the oil starts to glisten at the edges — that's the peppers and tomato finally melted into one.
- 71 min
Mash lightly with a fork or wooden spoon to a chunky, spreadable texture.
- 81 min
Finish with chopped parsley and serve warm or at room temperature with bread.
