Çoban Salatası Recipe (Turkish Shepherd’s Salad)

A Simple and Delicious Çoban Salatası Recipe (Turkish Shepherd's Salad) - Quick and Easy to Make With Fresh Summer Vegetables

Coban Salatasi (also known as Turkish Shepherd's Salad or Choban Salad) is a light, refreshing, and simple side salad made with juicy summer tomatoes, cucumbers, and green peppers.

It's easy to make and comes together in only 10 minutes, perfect for a refreshing treat.

All you need to do is finely chop the ingredients, drizzle olive oil and lemon juice, season with salt and pepper, and mix everything together.

Jump to:

• What is Coban Salatasi?
• Why is it Called Shepherd's Salad?
• Why This Recipe Works?
• Ingredients for Çoban Salatası Recipe (Turkish Shepherd’s Salad)
• How to Make Çoban Salatası Recipe (Turkish Shepherd’s Salad)
• Top Tips From the Chef
• What to Serve with Coban Salad?
• Recipe FAQs
• Related Recipes
• Çoban Salatası Recipe (Turkish Shepherd’s Salad)

What is Coban Salatasi?

Çoban Salatası (which means Shepherd's Salad in Turkish) is a traditional dish that originated in Turkey.

It is a refreshing and healthy side dish made with a combination of fresh and vibrant ingredients.

The salad typically includes juicy fresh tomatoes, crisp cucumbers, crunchy Turkish green chilies, tangy onions, and fragrant herbs such as parsley or mint.

The vegetables are finely chopped and tossed together with a simple dressing of olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.

Its vibrant flavors and colorful presentation make it a popular choice in Turkish cuisine.

This refreshing and healthy salad is arguably the most consumed side salad among all Turkish salads, and you'll encounter it everywhere as you travel across the country.

It is usually served alongside grilled meat, kebabs, or seafood dishes.

Why is it Called Shepherd's Salad?

The Turkish name for this summer salad is Çoban Salatası, translating to Shepherd's Salad.

Shepherds used to take cucumbers, tomatoes, and onions from their farms (the essential ingredients of Çoban Salad), and mix them together to create a simple lunch salad enjoyed with bread.

Today, this salad doesn’t belong to shepherds only, everyone in the country loves it because it's super easy to make, refreshing, and extremely delicious.

Why This Recipe Works?

• Similar to Persian Shirazi Salad, this simple yet super tasty salad is very easy to make and full of Mediterranean flavors.

• You can serve Turkish Shepherd Salad as a side dish with your favorite meals or you can eat it on its own as a light lunch along with some feta cheese and Greek Pita Bread.

• You can add any fresh vegetables and herbs to your Choban Salad as long as you keep tomatoes and cucumbers as your main ingredients.

• No need to make a vinaigrette for this simple Turkish Salad. Just drizzle some olive oil and lemon juice and season with some salt. Add some vinegar or pomegranate molasses for extra sharpness if you prefer!

Ingredients for Çoban Salatası Recipe (Turkish Shepherd’s Salad)

• Tomatoes - Ideally, you should use juicy and ripe summer tomatoes. However, any flavourful tomato will work great. Peeling your tomatoes will enhance the flavor so take some extra time and peel your tomatoes and sprinkle them with salt after chopping them before adding them to the salad.

• Cucumbers - For maximum flavor and crunch, I prefer small Turkish or Persian cucumbers. They are more flavorful and less watery than the regular, long varieties. You can buy them from Turkish or Middle Eastern markets. Alternatively, you can use English cucumbers or any other large cucumber.

• Peppers - I prefer using long Turkish green peppers (sivri biber) for this dish. They are one of the most popular peppers used in Turkish cuisine. They are usually mild but some of them can be quite hot. You can replace them with bell pepper or Spanish Padron peppers.

• Red Onions - Onions are another key ingredient here and I prefer using red onions for their color and strong flavor. You can use brown onions or spring onions if you prefer. Slice them thinly to add a bit of crunch to the salad. 

• Flat leaf parsley - It is one of my favorite herbs that add flavor and brightness to salads. It is very popular to use this aromatic herb in many Turkish salad recipes such as Piyaz (Turkish Bean Salad) and Ezme Salad (Acili Ezme).

• Lemon juice - I always use lemon juice squeezed from fresh lemons instead of bottled lemon juice for a fresher and more delicious taste. 

• Olive oil - Use good quality extra virgin olive oil for salad dressings as it makes a huge difference in taste.

• Vinegar - It is optional to use vinegar for this salad. Both white wine vinegar and apple cider vinegar works great.

How to Make Çoban Salatası Recipe (Turkish Shepherd’s Salad)

This delicious Shepherd Salad is super quick and simple to make.

However, to achieve the best results, you need to follow a few simple tips:

Peel and cut the cucumbers into small dice.

If using large cucumbers, deseed them before dicing. Place them in a bowl.

Chop the tomatoes the same size as the cucumbers and add them to the bowl.

If you have the time, peel the tomatoes to make your salad even juicier.

Slice the Turkish peppers and the red onion, and scatter them on top of the cucumbers and tomatoes.

Sprinkle on some finely chopped parsley and drizzle with some olive oil.

Lastly, pour the lemon juice and vinegar (if using) on and season your salad with some salt.

Please scroll down to the recipe card below for the full ingredients list with measurements, complete recipe method, recipe notes, and nutritional information.

Top Tips From the Chef

• As with any fresh salad, use the best and freshest ingredients you can possibly get. Always use extra virgin olive oil and freshly squeezed lemon juice for the dressing.

• There are different preferences when it comes to how chunky or finely chopped the Shepherd Salad vegetables should be. My personal opinion is that they should be fairly finely chopped, but not so small that the vegetables become mushy. Shepherds Salad vegetables are meant to be fresh and crunchy.

• Toss the salad well to ensure that the dressing is evenly distributed throughout the dish.

• Make sure you taste the salad dressing before you add it to your vegetables and adjust the amount of the ingredients to your taste.

• Don't prepare this salad too much in advance as it will lose its crunch and it will get soggy. Prepare only as much as you need as the leftovers won't keep well.

What to Serve with Coban Salad?

This salad is a great side dish that pairs perfectly with almost everything from kebabs to casseroles.

To name a few, try this refreshing salad with Imam Bayildi (Turkish Stuffed Eggplant), Keema Naan Bread, Easy Lamb Goulash (Hungarian Stew), Baked Turkish Meatballs, Cokertme Kebabi, Creamy Shrimp Risotto With Peas, Turkish Lahmacun, and Pasta with Green Sauce.

Alternatively, you can eat it on its own as a light lunch along with some feta cheese and Bazlama (Turkish Flatbread).

Recipe FAQs

Related Recipes

For more easy and delicious salad recipes why not try:

Did you make this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out! Leave a comment below and tag @cookingorgeous on Instagram and hashtag it #cookingorgeous.

I hope you enjoy the process of making this delicious, healthy, and easy Çoban Salatası recipe, a.k.a Turkish Shepherd's Salad as much as you enjoy eating it! 🙂 

Bon appétit! / Afiyet olsun!

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