Tunisian cracked olives — zitoun m'kasser with garlic, caraway and harissa
The kemia that opens any Tunisian meal: thoroughly drained cracked green olives tossed in a marinade of garlic, caraway, harissa, preserved lemon and olive oil, then scattered with parsley.
Ingredients for two
| 140 g | Cracked green olives Drained weight; shop-bought brined olives, ready to eat, with stones |
| 60 g | Lemon Juice of half a lemon, 25 g |
| 15 g | Salt-preserved lemons 1 quarter: rind only, flesh removed, finely diced |
| 10 g | Garlic 2 cloves, crushed in a garlic press |
| 2 g | Ground caraway 1 level tsp |
| 1 g | Ground coriander 1/2 tsp |
| 12 g | Harissa 2 tsp; 6 g for mild heat |
| 30 g | Extra virgin olive oil 3 tbsp |
| 10 g | Flat-leaf parsley 2 tbsp finely chopped, added at serving |
| 10 g | Hot green chillies 1 small chilli, thinly sliced (or 1 g chilli flakes) (optional) |
| 400 g | Water For desalting if necessary, in two batches; discarded afterwards |
Method
- Drain the olives and taste one. If mild and pleasant to eat as they are, simply drain without rinsing: the brine adds flavour. If distinctly salty, cover with 200 g lukewarm water for 15 minutes, drain, cover with the other 200 g fresh water for another 15 minutes and drain again. In either case, dry on a clean cloth so the marinade clings.
- Scrub the half-lemon under running water, dry and squeeze to obtain 25 g juice. Remove the flesh from the preserved lemon quarter, rinse the rind and cut into small 3 mm dice. Peel the garlic and crush in a garlic press. Mix in a bowl with the harissa, caraway, coriander, lemon juice and olive oil to make a smooth red sauce. Add the thinly sliced green chilli if using.
- Put the olives and diced preserved lemon in a small container, pour over the marinade and toss for 30 seconds to coat thoroughly. Close and marinate at room temperature for 2 hours, shaking the container twice: the oil stays fluid out of the cold, and the garlic, caraway and harissa get into the cracks in the olives. Then refrigerate until serving.
- Take out of the fridge 20 minutes before serving so the oil becomes fluid again. Toss once more, divide between two small ramekins with a generous spoonful of marinade and scatter over the chopped parsley. Provide a dish for the stones; do not add salt.
On your plate
Recipe
273 kcal · protein 2 g · carbs 3 g · fat 27 g
Quantities per person
- 70 g Cracked green olives
- 30 g Lemon
- 7.5 g Salt-preserved lemons
- 5 g Garlic
- 1 g Ground caraway
- 0.5 g Ground coriander
- 6 g Harissa
- 15 g Extra virgin olive oil
- 5 g Flat-leaf parsley
- 5 g Hot green chillies
- 200 g Water
Cooking tips
Prepare the day before or in the morning: the 2-hour marinating time is not included in the 15 minutes, and the olives are much better after a night. They keep in their oil in the fridge for 5 days. Take out 20 minutes before serving so the oil becomes fluid again. Allow an extra 30 minutes if the olives need desalting. Use only shop-bought olives already prepared in brine: this recipe does not remove the bitterness from fresh raw olives. Kemia is rarely served alone; accompany it with cumin carrots, mechouia salad or harissa potatoes for a proper starter, or double the quantities if serving it on its own. The stones and uneaten marinade mean the nutrition calculation slightly exceeds the actual intake.
Zitoun m'kasser, cracked green olives served as kemia in Tunisian Jewish homes, seasoned with garlic, caraway, preserved lemon and harissa.
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