Persian Cucumber and Tomato Salad (Salad-e Shirazi)
Inspired by techniques from Serious Eats and NYT Cooking.
A refreshing Persian diced salad of cucumber, tomato and onion in a tangy lime and dried mint dressing, finished with sumac for a fruity sharpness. A short rest after dressing is all it needs to come together.
None of the 14 major EU allergens. Always check the labels of the products you use.
Method
- 1
Dice the vegetables. Cut the cucumber, tomato and onion into small, even dice of about 5 mm, with the onion slightly smaller than the rest. Keeping the pieces uniform means every spoonful gets a balanced mix of all three rather than one dominating. Tip them into the large bowl with the chopped parsley.
- 2
Whisk the dressing. Whisk the lime juice, olive oil, dried mint, salt and pepper together in the small bowl. Crumble the dried mint between your fingers as you add it, since this releases its aroma far more than simply sprinkling it in whole.
- 3
Dress and rest. Pour the dressing over the diced vegetables, toss well, and leave for 15 minutes. During this rest the salt draws juice out of the tomato and cucumber, which mingles with the lime and oil to flavour everything evenly.
- 4
Finish and garnish. Toss the salad again and taste, adding a touch more lime juice if you'd like it sharper. Sprinkle with the sumac and top with the mint sprigs just before serving, so its colour and citrusy tang stay bright rather than fading into the dressing.
Storage
Cover and refrigerate within 2 hours and eat within 2 days; the vegetables will soften gradually as they sit. This salad isn't suitable for freezing.
Equipment
- chopping board and sharp knife
- large bowl
- small bowl
- whisk or fork
- vegetable peeler
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 137 kcal |
| Protein | 1.9 g |
| Carbohydrate | 11.4 g |
| of which sugars | 5.6 g |
| of which free sugars | 0.3 g |
| Fat | 10.4 g |
| of which saturates | 1.5 g |
| Fibre | 2.4 g |
| Salt | 1.11 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
1.4 g High Protein needs ≥ 10 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
