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Home » Salads

Rocca Salad

Published: Jul 23, 2024 · Modified: Dec 1, 2021 by Janelle Hama *This post may contain affiliate links. Disclosure

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Craving a delicious Middle Eastern side dish? Try the perfect rocca salad featuring fresh ingredients tossed in a simple sour dressing. This is also known as a Lebanese salatat jarjeer.

white plate with rocca salad
A simple yet flavourful rocca salad pairs with so many foods

Just like a rabbit, I can't resist munching on fresh green rocca leaves with their peppery kick; I eat them on their own, they're so tasty to me. 

Rocca, also known as roquette, rocket, or arugula, is a common salad green in the Middle East. 

In Arabic, rocca is called jarjeer, pronounced as “jarr-jeerr” with rolled r’s, and is also known as “gerger leaves”. 

This rocca salad is known as “salatat jarjeer” (Arabic) and can complement almost any lunch or dinner. Similar to this radish greens salad. I particularly enjoy it with baked kibbeh in a tray or cold kibbeh. 

Moreover, I appreciate the herbaceous flavor of rocca in any good ol' salad.

Ingredients Highlight

rocca salad ingredients laid out on a white bench

The complete list of ingredients with measurements, can be found in the full recipe card below.

I have used two types of rocca leaves for this salad, either large and leafy or small wild leaves. Both work well. For the larger leaves, I chop them into bite-sized pieces. 

When selecting rocca, look for the brightest green ones, as they are the freshest and have the best flavor. 

Zesty white or red onions are on the sweeter side, complementing the pepperiness of the rocca, toasted walnuts, and juicy pomegranate arils. If pomegranates are hard to come by, they can be omitted. 

A Lebanese salad dressing  including sumac, a naturally sour and salty red spice adds an amazing flavor. 

This dressing is commonly used in Lebanese salads, such as the juicy tomato and onion combination.

close up of slatat jarjeer with pomegranate

Janelle's Tips

Use a salad spinner to gently dry rocca leaves after washing, as they are delicate and can bruise easily if handled roughly. This goes for any salads with rocket. 

Rocca leaves absorb the dressing well, the longer the prepared salad sits, the juicier the leaves become. For this reason, I recommend consuming the salad immediately.

To prepare ahead, you can chop the vegetables and keep them separate from the prepared rocket salad dressing (in a jar) in the fridge. You can also store the dry roasted walnuts in an airtight container in the pantry. When ready to serve, combine all the ingredients. I do this all the time, when I have a crowd to feed.

If you like this salad, then you'll love my beet salad or this chick fil a kale salad too.

white plate with rocket salad

Did you make this? I'd love to know! Leave me a comment below with a ★★★★★ star rating or tag @plantbasedfolk on social media.

Recipe

white plate with rocca salad

Rocca Salad

The perfect rocca salad featuring fresh ingredients tossed in a simple sour dressing. This is also known as a Lebanese salatat jarjeer.
Print Pin Rate Save Recipe Saved Recipe
Course: Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine: Lebanese, Middle Eastern
Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan
Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Author: Janelle Hama

Ingredients

  • 4 cups Rocca leaves if using small variety, leave as is. If using large leaf variety, chop up into bite sized pieces.
  • ½ medium White onion finely sliced
  • ½ cup Walnuts roughly chopped
  • ¼ medium Pomegranate optional. Use arils only.

Dressing

  • 1½ tablespoons Olive oil extra virgin
  • 1 teaspoon Sumac
  • ½ medium Lemon fresh juiced
  • 1 pinch Salt to taste
Metric - US Customary
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Instructions

  • Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the walnuts and dry toast them until they are golden brown. Remove the walnuts from the pan to stop further toasting and let them cool to room temperature.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together all the dressing ingredients.
    In a large bowl, combine all the salad ingredients, including the dressing. Serve immediately or let it sit for 20 minutes to soak up the flavors.

Video


Notes

Serve your Lebanese salatat jarjeer with foods like maghmour, which is a type of moussaka. More serving suggestions are mentioned in the above article.
 
 
 
US cups and spoons measurements have been used. 1 cup is 240ml, 1 tablespoon 15ml, 1 teaspoon 5ml.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 129kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 63mg | Potassium: 220mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 493IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 56mg | Iron: 1mg

N.B., nutrition info is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator. This will vary based on the specific ingredients you use.


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    5 from 56 votes (54 ratings without comment)

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    Recipe Rating




  1. Gav

    September 19, 2023 at 3:57 pm

    5 stars
    I have an abundance of rocket growing in my garden, and this salad has become my current favorite. It's simple, nutritious, and has a nice peppery flavor.

    Reply
  2. Leena

    December 02, 2021 at 8:00 am

    5 stars
    It was good with the potato and leek soup as you suggested. Thanks again.

    Reply

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