Salad Shirazi (Tomato Cucumber Salad)

Persian Salad Shirazi is the ultimate tomato cucumber salad with fresh herbs. A refreshing, easy, healthy, low calorie, low carb, crisp and flavorful salad that is a total winner!

What is Salad Shirazi?

Salad-e Shirazi is named after the beautiful southwestern city in Iran, called Shiraz. This is an immensely popular Persian salad and ubiquitous at meal times.

What is typical about this salad is the small dice of the vegetables. Salad Shirazi is fresh, juicy, tart, crunchy, full of herbs and flavorful. It is the best possible side dish to go along with delicious rice, hearty stews, breads, grilled meats and such.

Ever wondered what makes some fresh salads tastes so damn amazing? Nothing but the absolute best organic fresh ingredients!

Ingredients

Typically this salad is made with:

• Tomatoes
• Cucumbers
• Red Onions
• Fresh Herbs
• Lemon
• Olive oil

Step by Step Overview

1. Whisk the lemon vinaigrette.

2. Place all the chopped vegetables and herbs in a large salad bowl.

3. Drizzle the salad dressing and toss with vegetables.

4. Serve the tomato cucumber salad chilled.

Pro Tips

• Choose fresh, firm and crisp vegetables in the peak of season.
• The salad may release some juices. If you are particular to not have the juices, you can drain some of it. 
• Squeezing some of the tomato juices from the center, before chopping them, will also prevent too much juice settling down.
• Persian cucumbers or English cucumbers are the best choice for this salad. If using regular cucumbers, choose organic, peel and deseed them.
• Most important thing for this salad is to dice the tomatoes, cucumbers and onions real small. Chop the herbs finely.
• Try shallots instead of red onions.
• Make Ahead: combine vegetables with herbs and refrigerate. Add salad dressing right before serving.

Health Benefits

Cucumbers have more than 90% water and are good for hydration. As a rich source of vitamin K, cucumbers can support bone health. They are rich in phytonutrients known as cucurbitacins, touted to have anti carcinogenic, anti diabetic and anti inflammatory effects.

Cucumbers are part of Environmental Working Group’s dirty dozen - the produce with high levels of pesticide residue. So, try to buy organic cucumbers.

Tomatoes are a rich source of antioxidant nutrients such as vitamin C, beta-carotene and several phytonutrients. And an outstanding source of lycopene, known for cancer prevention.

Herbs have amazing health benefits, are rich in essential vitamins, minerals, protective polyphenols with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.

And finally the nutritious onions, lemon juice and healthy fats from olive oil. Salad Shirazi is low in calories, low carb, gluten free, allergy friendly and vegan.

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Salad Shirazi (Tomato Cucumber Salad)

Persian Salad Shirazi is the ultimate tomato cucumber salad with fresh herbs. A refreshing, easy, healthy, low calorie, low carb, crisp and flavorful salad that is a total winner!

Prep Time20 mins

Total Time20 mins

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Course :Salads

Cuisine :Persian

Servings: 7 (1 cup portion)

Calories: 82kcal

Author: Roxana Begum

Ingredients

• ▢ ¼ cup lemon juice fresh
• ▢ 3 tablespoons olive oil extra virgin
• ▢ 1 clove garlic small, grated
• ▢ 1 tbsp dried mint or 2 tbsp chopped fresh mint
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper optional
• ▢ 1 pound Persian or English cucumbers organic
• ▢ 1 pound roma tomatoes firm
• ▢ ⅓ red onion medium, diced small
• ▢ ¼ cup chopped parsley flat-leaf
• ▢ ¼ cup chopped green onions
• ▢ ¼ cup chopped cilantro
• ▢ 2 tbsp chopped dill

US Customary - Metric

Equipment

• ▢
  Mixing Bowls
• ▢
  Chef's Knife
• ▢
  Cutting Board

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

• Whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, grated garlic, dried mint, salt and pepper to prepare the salad dressing.
• Rinse vegetables and pat dry with paper towel. The herbs can be run through a salad spinner before chopping. The cucumbers may be peeled to leave alternate strips on it.
• Dice the tomatoes and cucumbers into ¼ inch pieces.

  Tip: You may deseed and drain the juices from halved tomatoes before chopping.
• Place chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, onions and fresh herbs in a large salad bowl.
• Drizzle salad dressing all over the vegetables.
• Toss well and adjust seasoning as per taste. Serve chilled preferably.

Notes

1. Choose fresh, firm and crisp vegetables in the peak of season.
2. Drain salad juices if you prefer.
3. If using regular cucumbers, choose organic and deseed them.
4. Make Ahead: combine vegetables with herbs and refrigerate. Add salad dressing right before serving.
5. Storage: Refrigerate leftovers for up to 2 days.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 82kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 174mg | Potassium: 287mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 895IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 26mg | Iron: 1mg

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This post was first published on February 2016 and has been updated with improvements in recipe, formatting, tips, and additional enhancements.