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!
SALAD SHIRAZI INGREDIENTS
Typically this salad is made with:
- Tomatoes
- Cucumbers
- Red Onions
- Fresh Herbs
- Lemon
- Olive oil
HOW TO MAKE PERSIAN TOMATO CUCUMBER SALAD
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.
TIPS FOR THE BEST TOMATO CUCUMBER SALAD
- 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.
TOMATO CUCUMBER SALAD 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.
LOOKING FOR MORE TASTY SALADS? YOU MAY LIKE THESE:
- Moroccan Eggplant Salad
- Persian Cucumber Yogurt Salad (Mast-o-khiar)
- Eggplant Yogurt Salad with Pita Chips (Fatteh)
- Mixed Sprouts Salad with Coconut
- Kale Quinoa Salad with Lentils
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SALAD SHIRAZI (PERSIAN TOMATO CUCUMBER SALAD)
Ingredients
- 1/4 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
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper optional
- 1 pound Persian or English cucumbers organic
- 1 pound roma tomatoes firm
- 1/3 red onion medium, diced small
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley flat-leaf
- 1/4 cup chopped green onions
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- 2 tbsp chopped dill
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 1/4 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
- Choose fresh, firm and crisp vegetables in the peak of season.
- Drain salad juices if you prefer.
- If using regular cucumbers, choose organic and deseed them.
- Make Ahead: combine vegetables with herbs and refrigerate. Add salad dressing right before serving.
- Storage: Refrigerate leftovers for up to 2 days.
Nutrition
This post was first published on February 2016 and has been updated with improvements in recipe, formatting, tips, and additional enhancements.
Pam Greer
What a gorgeous salad! I’ve made attempts at this before, but it never turned out how I wanted. Thanks for explaining the small dice! That makes all the difference!
Roxana Begum
Great observation! Thanks Pam.
Kelly Anthony
This tomato cucumber salad looks so light and refreshing and will be perfect with any meal.
Roxana Begum
Yes, it is quite versatile.
Beth
I love everything about this salad! So many fresh flavors and spices!
Roxana Begum
So glad you like it.
Sara
This was so good – so light but SO flavorful!
Roxana Begum
Absolutely!
Amy | The Cook Report
This looks like my perfect salad, so fresh and crunchy
Roxana Begum
Thanks :)