Salad-e Shirazi (Persian Cucumber, Tomato and Onion Salad)

Salad-e Shirazi (Persian Cucumber, Tomato and Onion Salad)
Con for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Prop Stylist: Paige Hicks.
Total Time
20 minutes
Rating
5(2,808)
Comments
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Named for the city in southwestern Iran, salad-e Shirazi is found on practically every Iranian table at practically every meal. Think of it as an herbier, juicier, more acidic version of Greek salad, Israeli salad or Indian kachumber. It should be bright, crunchy and tart, a nice counterpoint to rich, buttery rice and unctuous stews. Toss the cucumbers, onion, herbs and tomatoes with the lime vinaigrette just before serving to preserve their crunch. In Iran, dining companions usually fight over the leftover juice at the end of a meal.

Featured in: Samin Nosrat’s Essential Persian Recipes

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Ingredients

Yield:6 to 8 servings (about 5 cups)
  • 3 to 4Persian cucumbers (about ¾ pound)
  • ½red onion, diced into ¼-inch pieces
  • 2tablespoons any combination of finely chopped fresh parsley, cilantro, basil or dill
  • 1teaspoon dried mint
  • 2 to 3medium tomatoes (about 1 pound)
  • ¼cup freshly squeezed lime juice (from about 2 limes), plus more as needed
  • 3tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)

67 calories; 5 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 4 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 5 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 3 grams sugars; 1 gram protein; 281 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Remove alternating stripes of peel on cucumbers and trim ends. Dice cucumbers into ¼-inch pieces and place in a large bowl with onion and fresh herbs. Using your fingers to break up any large pieces, gently grind the dried mint into the bowl. Remove tomato cores, dice remaining tomatoes into ¼-inch pieces and add to bowl.

  2. Step 2

    In a small bowl, make a vinaigrette by whisking together ¼ cup lime juice, oil, ¾ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Just before serving, dress vegetables with vinaigrette and stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and lime juice as needed. This salad should be bright, crunchy and tart, a nice counterpoint for rich, buttery rice and unctuous stews. Serve at room temperature or lightly chilled. Cover and refrigerate leftovers for up to 2 days.

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5 out of 5
2,808 user ratings
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Comments

A convenient source of dried mint can be found in "herbal" mint tea bags.

As a cook from Shiraz, I can say confidently it's Not the original recipe, instead of lime you should use verjuice (from unripe grapes) and also green onion is preferred to red one. It dramatically can change the outcome and you probably would find it more tastey and delicate. Also please forget the olive oil.

I was just looking at this recipe in "Cooking in Iran" by Najmieh Batmanglij. She suggests either verjuice or lime juice. She also has olive oil in the recipe, but says it's optional. Verjuice is not easily sourced in the U.S. and many cooks wouldn't be able to make this if we couldn't substitute.

Is it possible to use regular garden cucumbers with the seeds removed?

Shirazi Salad, I love you! I make this all year long at least twice per week. I start to crave it when I am away on vacation. Sometimes persian cucumbers are not available, so I will semi-peel a regular one. I might add green peppers, or red pepper to stretch if my tomatoes aren’t great. I prefer lime juice and sometimes add sumac and/or pomegranate syrup if I feel like it. Sami’s exact recipe is always beautiful, but it’s also a masterpiece that welcomes and rewards tweaks. Thank you for bringing light to the family salad.

Look, it’s a ny times adaption designed for that audience and home cooks. I appreciate that there are probably wonderful ingredients that might make it more true to Iranian cuisine (which if I come across I’d love to try) but the reality is that this a great recipe. Many people will have easy access to the ingredients, and it’s the kind of thing, in the summer, when you fall in love with too many tomatoes and cucumbers you can whip it up and it provides an excellent accompaniment to something richer. For example, I paired it with paella. I think would be great with grilled chicken as well, etc.

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