Persian Shirazi Salad is a refreshingly fresh, simple, yet healthy salad that is made with easily available ingredients such as onion, tomatoes, and cucumbers. It takes only a few minutes to make this salad that will complement any main course or on its own for a salad lunch.
The Shirazi salad also called the Salad-e Shirazi is a simple summer salad consisting of finely diced cucumber, tomato, and onion, dressed in lemon juice and mint. It originates from the Southern Persian or Iranian town of Shiraz and is Iran’s national salad. The most unique feature of this dish is that when allowed to stand or marinate for an hour, the compound of liquids from the tomatoes, cucumbers, and lemon juice morph and elevate this salad to the spectacular.
The Shirazi salad is not old, dating back to the end of the 19th century when the tomatoes made their way to the Middle East from the New World. Served alongside spiced meat dishes, the salad both cleansed the palate and provided a nice cooling foil against bold flavors. Some of my friends forgo the salad and go straight to the bottom of the bowl, dipping their pitas or naans into the pooled dressing.
My own interaction with the Persian Shirazi salad was through my Farsi friends in India. We would visit each other’s homes during the holidays. Helping to make a meal was almost as much fun as consuming it. I was always struck by the similarity of this Farsi dish with the Indian ‘kachumber’ salad that my mom made. It also consisted of chopped cucumbers, onions, and tomatoes and dressed in this version in lemon instead of verjuice that my Farsi friends used. Being Indian, my mom would, of course, garnish the salad with chili peppers. But imagine my amazement when I visited Malaysia and Singapore and where the Shirazi salad was spun again with the added tropical dimension of garnishing with pineapples.
And that, quite honestly, is what truly amazes me about this salad. Almost every culture on the Eurasian continent has the basic Shirazi salad, but their hues become different based on the locality and region. The Persian Shirazi salad can also be called the Israeli salad or the Jerusalem salad and is garnished with parsley and sometimes dressed in olive oil. Some versions I have tasted add feta cheese or olives or toasted almonds. Honestly, they are all quite good. But nothing, in my humble opinion, beats the original.
Ingredients:
- Tomato: I used cherry tomatoes for this recipe as I have a perennial summer yield from my garden. Any tomato is fine, be sure to choose ripe but not too ripe tomatoes.
- Onion: Shallot is a good choice for this salad, but you could also use red onions.
- Mint: Fresh mint chiffonade is ideal for that burst of flavors. A small pinch of crushed, dried mint is also used for that unique flavor. I usually dry my own mint leaves (which is a weed that I love to have) on a tray in the shade. Do not dehydrate them under direct sunlight as it will lose its nutrients.
- Other herbs: Fresh dill and/or parsley is also used. In this recipe, I used dill and cilantro like our Farsi friends did.
- Cucumber: Persian cucumbers are the best for this salad. English cucumbers seem to be the only other choice as the slicing cucumbers have thick skins which need to be peeled. This salad incorporates cucumbers with their skin.
- Sumac: There are about 150 varieties of the sumac plant, some of them poisonous. The commercial grade of sumac powder is made from the dried and ground berries of the wild sumac flower. Sumac has a tangy aroma and tastes acidic like lemon juice. Like lemon, it is frequently used to brighten up marinades and dressings. Sumac spice is optional or you could add a pinch to the salad.
- Lime: Lime makes for a perfect dressing with salt and pepper, but you could use lemon juice as well.
How to make Persian Shirazi Salad:
- Cube the veggies: Cube the shallot, tomatoes, and cucumber with the skin, ensuring that they are of the same size. You could either de-seed the tomatoes or drain them after cutting in a colander for 10 minutes.
- Season: Chop the dill and cilantro. Crush the dried mint using your fingers. Chiffonade the mint (see instructions for basil chiffonade – Bruschetta) and add to the salad.
- Dress the salad: You could use a separate bowl to make the dressing with lime juice, extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper powder or just shower the salad with these ingredients directly to the salad and toss. This step must be done just before serving and not ahead of time as it will exude more juices and get soft.
1. Pick tomatoes that are not too ripe or they will get mushy. Drain the juices in a colander after chopping or just deseed them. Some people like the juices of the tomatoes in the salad. This step is entirely based on your preference.
2. Do not use the food processor for this salad. What you want is firmly cut veggies.
3. Dress the salad with lime juice and olive oil right before serving and not ahead of time.
Suggestions for serving the Persian Shirazi Salad:
This salad, that is loaded with herbs and lime juice, can be served with Fish Shawarma for a main course. Another healthy salad that you would love to try is my Tabbouleh With Amaranth. You could also serve it with pita bread with some of my Best Hummus Flavors.
How to store:
You could chop the vegetables, drain the tomatoes and store them in a box for a couple of days in the refrigerator. The salad with the dressing must be consumed the day of.
Persian Shirazi Salad
Equipment
- By hand
Ingredients
- 3 Persian cucumber
- 8 cherry tomato
- 1 shallot
- 1 lime juice
- ⅓ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper powder
- 1 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 1 sprig dill
- 2 sprig mint
- 2 sprig cilantro
- ¼ tsp dried mint (optional)
Instructions
- Cube the shallot, tomatoes, and cucumber with the skin, ensuring that they are of the same size. You could either deseed the tomatoes or drain them after cutting in a colander for 10 minutes. This step is a matter of personal preference.
- Chop the dill and cilantro. Crush the dried mint using your fingers. Chiffonade the mint and add to the salad.
- You could use a separate bowl to make the dressing with lime juice, extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper powder or just shower the salad with these ingredients directly to the salad and toss. This step must be done just before serving and not ahead of time as it will exude more juices and get soft.
Notes
- Any add-ons such as nuts or fruits is optional. The basic salad is quite simple and tangy.
Nutrition
good recipe with cucumbers!
Thanks!
Great spices 🙂