Mediterranean Salad with Crispy Dukkah Chickpeas

Vegetarian, GF, anti-inflammatory, Mediterranean salad

I've just come back from holiday, and I'm already missing the Mediterranean food. The long lunches, the olive oil poured without apology, the herbs, the sunshine on a plate. So I tried to recreate that feeling at home, in a bowl.

This is the summer salad that tastes like the Mediterranean. But the reason I make it on repeat isn't only the flavour. It's that this bowl has everything your body actually needs: protein, fibre, healthy fats, and a lot of anti-inflammatory ingredients. The Mediterranean way of eating is more than a "diet". It's one of the most consistently studied, most anti-inflammatory ways to eat in the world. So what does "anti-inflammatory" actually mean? Your body uses inflammation as a short-term repair signal, which is exactly what it's meant to do. The problem is the low-grade, simmering kind that so much modern eating (ultra-processed food, too much sugar, too little fibre) keeps quietly switched on. Over time, that background inflammation is linked to fatigue, hormonal imbalance, gut trouble, and much more.

The Mediterranean pattern helps turn that dial back down. Through the everyday combination of olive oil, vegetables, herbs, legumes, nuts, seeds, and fish. Foods rich in polyphenols, healthy fats, and fibre that work together to calm the system and feed a happy gut.

Ingredients: (Serves 2)

For the salad

• ½ cucumber, deseeded and chopped

• 150g cherry tomatoes, chopped

• A handful of Kalamata olives

• 1 green chilli or a little paprika, sliced

• Zest and juice of ½ lemon

• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 400g can chickpeas, drained

• Small bunch each of dill, parsley, and chives, chopped

• Salt and black pepper

For the yogurt base

• 150g thick Greek yogurt (or plant-based alternative)

• 3 tbsp tahini

• 1 garlic clove, grated

For the dukkah

• 100g hazelnuts

• 50g pumpkin seeds

• 3 tbsp sesame seeds

• 1 tsp each cumin, fennel, and coriander seeds

• 2 tsp thyme, dried or fresh

(This makes more dukkah than you need for one salad. Keep the rest in a jar and sprinkle it over eggs, roasted vegetables, soups, or hummus.)

Method

1. Make the dukkah. Roast everything except the thyme at 200°C for 8–10 minutes. Let it cool, then pulse with the thyme into a chunky crumb, not powder.

2. Crisp the chickpeas. Toss the drained chickpeas with a little olive oil and roast at 200°C until golden and crispy, about 8–10 minutes. While still warm, toss with 4–5 tbsp of the dukkah.

3. Mix the cucumber, tomatoes, olives, chilli or paprika, olive oil, and a pinch of salt.

4. Fold in the chopped herbs and the lemon juice.

5. Make the creamy base. Stir the grated garlic and lemon zest into the yogurt. Swirl the yogurt and tahini together on your plates.

6. Assemble. Top the yogurt swirl with the salad, then pile on the crispy dukkah chickpeas.

7. Serve with warm sourdough bread, seed crackers, or roasted sweet potatoes.

Make it once, and I promise you'll be hooked.

Tried it? Tag me @waterlemonhealth. I'd love to see your version.