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The Best Easy Shirazi Salad (Salad-e Shirazi)

Vibrant Shirazi salad in a white bowl with a brown rim, featuring finely diced cucumbers, tomatoes, red onions, and fresh mint, viewed from an overhead perspective. Lemon wedges are on the side.
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5 from 4 reviews

If you’re looking for a quick and easy salad recipe, I highly recommend trying this refreshing Shirazi Salad. It’s made with crunchy cucumber, juicy tomatoes, and a tangy Mediterranean dressing that really brings everything together. You’ll love how simple and delicious it is!

Ingredients

Units Scale

For the Mediterranean Salad Dressing:

  • 1/2 teaspoon sumac
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 clove garlic, minced or grated
  • 1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
  • Juice of 1 large lemon
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper
  • 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

For the Salad:

  • 1 English cucumber (or 4-5 small Persian cucumbers)
  • 1 small red onion
  • 1 pound Campari tomatoes or tomatoes on the vine
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley

Instructions

  1. In a mixing bowl, add the sumac, dried oregano, minced or grated garlic, pomegranate molasses, lemon juice, sea salt, and cracked black pepper. Whisk thoroughly to combine ingredients and dissolve the salt.
  2. While continuously whisking the mixture, slowly drizzle in the extra virgin olive oil until the dressing becomes glossy and no pools of olive oil remain. Set the dressing aside to allow flavors to meld while you prepare the vegetables.
  3. Finely dice the cucumber, red onion, and tomatoes into small and equal-sized pieces. For consistently sized dice, I find my manual vegetable chopper to be an incredibly helpful tool.
  4. In a large mixing bowl, combine the diced tomatoes, onion, and cucumber. Add the fresh chopped parsley and mint.
  5. Pour the prepared dressing over the vegetables and herbs.
  6. Give the salad a good toss so every ingredient gets coated in that amazing dressing. Always taste as you go – if you feel it needs a little more zing, add a pinch of salt or a splash of lemon. Then, dig right in and enjoy.

Notes

When I'm preparing Shirazi Salad in advance, I've learned a little trick to keep it perfectly crisp: I always layer my diced vegetables strategically in the bowl! I put the onions at the very bottom (they don't mind a little moisture), then the tomatoes, and finally the cucumbers and fresh herbs right on top. Keeping them untossed and covered tightly in the fridge, along with holding back the dressing until just before serving, means those cucumbers stay delightfully crunchy every single time!

Find it online: https://crave-worthy.com/shirazi-salad/