This refreshing salad comes from Samin Nosrat, writer of a James Beard award-winning New York Times best selling cookbook, Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat. We watched a documentary on Netflix featuring Ms. Nosrat a few years ago and really enjoyed it. I love the simplicity of this recipe. It has just a few ingredients but it packs loads of flavor. It’s the perfect summer salad.
The cucumbers and onions are crispy, the tomatoes are sweet, and the fresh herbs add life to this wonderful salad.
Our herbs do quite well in our hot climate. Italian parsley is an herb that we always have in our garden.
This salad is delightful on its own, but pair it with grilled chicken and tahdig, and you’re in for a real treat.
Salad-e Shirazi (Persian Cucumber, Tomato and Onion Salad)
Adapted from Samin Nosrat's recipe
Author: Kiyo Miller
Serves: 4
Ingredients
- 8 ounces Persian or Japanese cucumber
- 3 tablespoons diced red onion
- 2 tablespoons any combination of finely chopped Italian parsley, basil, dill or cilantro
- 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh mint
- 1 tablespoon diced green onion
- 8 ounces diced grape or cherry tomatoes
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preparation
- Remove alternating stripes of peel on the cucumbers and trim ends. Dice cucumbers into ¼-inch pieces and place in a large bowl with onion and fresh herbs including mint. Cut grape or cherry tomatoes into quarters, about ¼-inch pieces.
- In a small bowl, whisk together ¼ cup lime juice, olive oil, ½ teaspoon kosher salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Just before serving, dress vegetables with some of the vinaigrette and stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper and more dressing. Serve slightly chilled with your favorite grilled chicken, tahdig or buttered rice. Leftover salad can be refrigerated for 1 day.