Persian Shirazi Salad

Fresh, delicious and so versatile, Persian Shirazi salad is packed with bright, crunchy ,juicy vegetables, herbs and a simple flavorful dressing to bring it all together. You’ll find similar salads all over the Mediterranean and Levantine region in some form, a little different to each other, called different names but essentially have the basic tomato, cucumber, red onion, herbs, olive oil and lemon combination. You’ll hear it being called Palestinian salad, Greek Horatiki salad, Turkish Gavurdagi salad, Israeli salad so on and so forth.

What is Shirazi Salad

Shirazi Salad is an Iranian salad that is named after Shiraz in southern Iran where it is believed to have been created. This simple refreshing table salad is to prepare and can be served as a side to accompany kebabs, BBQ, grilled meats, fish, rice dishes and delicious to scoop with Middle Eastern flatbreads.

Ingredients

• Tomatoes: The best time to make this salad is in summer when tomatoes are at their peak. Its also good other times, but there is something special about tomato salad in the summer. I used four Roma tomatoes that were firm with a little give to them. One way to reduce the juice in the salad is to set the tomatoes over a colander after you’ve chopped them. And secondly salt them just before eating to reduce the juice. I personally don’t mind a little juice pooling at the bottom because once the everything is added it makes a lovely dressing.
• Cucumbers: I used four Persian cucumbers, I prefer them over other varieties because the seeds are softer and have a thin skin so you don’t need to peel them.
• Onions: Use about ¼ to ½ a medium-sized red onion. Use about 1-2 tablespoons if you’re not into raw onions, simply chop them as fine as possible. Alternatively use shallots, they’re not as pungent. Moreover the acid in the salad will mellow the onions so it’s not generally strong.
• Bell Pepper. For some added crunch I used one Anaheim Pepper as I’m not fond of green bell pepper. Use ½ a green bell pepper, seeded and chopped.
• Mint: Mint is the main ingredient in a Shirazi salad that makes it unique compared to other tomato-cucumber salads. Dried, crushed mint is used in abundance in Shirazi salad. I like to use fresh and dried mint, though using fresh mint only is perfectly okay.
• Fresh Herbs: Othe herbs like parsley, cilantro dill are delicious and perfectly okay to use here. Use one or all in any combination you like. The idea is to have something fresh and herbaceous.
• Olives: I love a little briny flavor of Kalamata olives, it is not traditional to this salad but I had some extra in my fridge that needed to be used up. Its optional!
• Seasoning: Sumac, sea salt, black pepper are the only seasonings that are needed for this salad. Sumac is staple in Middle Eastern cuisine to add depth, tart and tang specially to salads, dips and kebabs. Its is made by drying sumac berries, a beautiful deep red berry popular all over the Levantine region. Other than that this salad just needs some fresh lemon juice and some great quality extra virgin olive oil.