Shirazi Salad

Overhead view of the salad in a blue patterned bowl, with fresh mint and half a lime.

5 from 1 vote

A crunchy Persian salad made with cucumbers, tomatoes, red onion and herbs in a lime dressing. It takes about 10 minutes to put together and goes with kebabs, rice and stews.

Prep Time10

Total Time10

Course: Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine: Iranian, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern

Diet: Diabetic, Gluten Free, Halal, Low Calorie, Low Fat, Low Lactose, Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings: people

Calories: 196kcal

Author: Ayla Clulee

Ingredients

For the Chopped Salad

2 Persian or Turkish cucumbers
2 medium tomatoes
1 small red onion
1 Turkish green pepper (½ green bell pepper, or 3 padron peppers)
½ cup parsley (30 g, chopped)
1 tablespoon mint leaves (chopped)

For the Dressing

2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon sumac
1 tablespoon lime juice
¼ teaspoon salt

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Prepare the Vegetables

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 juicier.
Slice the Turkish peppers, dice the red onion, and then scatter them on top of the cucumbers and tomatoes.
Sprinkle on the finely chopped parsley and mint leaves.

Make the Dressing and Toss the Salad

Put the olive oil, lime juice, sumac and salt in a small bowl and give them a good stir.
Pour the dressing over the vegetables and herbs, and toss until everything is well coated.
Leave the salad for about 15 minutes before serving, then give it one more toss.

Notes

Use firm, ripe tomatoes and small Persian or Turkish cucumbers. If you use a large cucumber, peel it and scoop out the seeds.
Dice everything to about the same size, but not so small that it goes mushy.
For a milder taste, use a shallot, or soak the chopped onion in cold water for 10 minutes and drain it well.
Squeeze the lime juice yourself. Lemon or verjuice (sour grape juice) work well instead.
Dried mint works in place of fresh, but it's much stronger, so use a lot less.
Taste the dressing, and add more lime juice or salt if it needs it.
Dress the salad about 15 minutes before serving. If it sits longer, the salt and lime draw water out of the vegetables and it turns watery.
To make ahead, chop the vegetables and herbs a few hours early and keep them covered in the fridge. The dressing keeps for up to 3 days.
Leftovers keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Don't freeze it.
The recipe is vegan and gluten free. For the traditional version, skip the oil, pepper and parsley, then dress it with verjuice, salt and dried mint.

Nutrition