Shirazi Salad

Simple and fresh Shirazi Salad! This refreshing Persian cucumber and tomato salad is so quick and easy, full of fresh flavors, healthy, crisp, and crunchy! It's a great side dish, appetizer, topping, or accompaniment to so many dishes! Naturally gluten-free, vegan, paleo, and keto, this classic Iranian salad recipe will be your new favorite!

This classic Persian cucumber and tomato salad is so easy and simple to make! Shirazi Salad is so refreshing, full of bright flavors, crisp textures, and complements any meal! It's fantastic for light summery meals on a hot day or a perfect refreshing dish to serve alongside a heavier meal. Just chopped fresh veggies with fresh and dried herbs, all dressed with a simple olive oil and citrus vinaigrette!

What Is Shirazi Salad?

Shirazi salad, also known as salad-e Shirazi in Farsi (a language in the Persian ethnic group). This Iranian salad originated from the southwestern city of Shiraz, hence the name. It's a relatively modern dish from the Qajar era in the nineteenth century when tomatoes were introduced to Iran. It's classically served as a summer dish on its own or a side dish to kabob year-round or as a side dish before and after meals. Due to its popularity, many refer to Shirazi salad as the national salad of Iran.

Why You'll Love This Persian Salad

This healthy salad is naturally allergy-free and simple in flavor! Packed with nutrition and whipped up in 10 minutes, there's nothing not to love! This easy recipe is:

• Gluten-Free
• Vegan & Vegetarian
• Allergy-free (Dairy-Free, Soy-Free, Egg-Free, Nut-Free, Peanut-Free, Wheat-Free, Sesame-Free, Coconut-Free, Corn-Free)
• Keto, Low-Carb, Paleo
• Sugar-Free
• Kid-Friendly
• A Make-Ahead & Meal Prep Essential
• Simple Side Dish, Salad, Dip, Topping, or Condiment
• Great For Summery Potlucks or A Party Appetizer

Ingredients For Shirazi Salad

• Persian Cucumbers: Persian cucumbers are a must (for obvious reasons!) Small, crisp, without large seeds like a conventional garden cucumber. They are similar to English cucumbers, but shorter in length. If you can't find Persian cucumbers, you can substitute 1 to 2 English cucumbers.
• Roma Tomatoes: Roma tomatoes are firm, less watery, and seedy than conventional tomatoes, making them perfect for this fresh and crisp salad. Easier to chop up finely and won't become soft and mushy in this salsa-like salad!
• Red Onion: Sharp and slightly sweet, this classic salad onion adds so much flavor while also adding a slight pop of color and crunch.
• Olive Oil: A good tasting, high-quality extra virgin olive oil is the flavorful base for the simple citrusy vinaigrette that dresses this salad.
• Lime Juice: The authentic choice for citrus in this salad is called Verjuice (Ab-Ghooreh). This liquid is a highly acidic juice made by pressing unripe grapes, crab apples, or other sour fruit. Since it's not readily assessable in the average American grocery store, you can use fresh lime juice or lemon juice.
• Dried Mint: The essential herb in a Shirazi salad! Dried mint is the traditional herb to use as part of the citrusy vinaigrette. If you can't find dried mint, you can use some fresh mint, very finely chopped.
• Salt + Black Pepper: A pinch of salt and pepper are the only spices this fresh salad needs.
• Fresh Parsley: Fresh herbs are optional. Some like to add fresh parsley, dill, or cilantro to their salad for extra color and bright flavor. These additions are not part of the authentic preparation but are commonly added in modern preparations.

Why Use Persian Cucumbers

Besides the name, Persian cucumbers are the ideal cucumber for this Persian salad due to their small size and seedlessness. While the difference between Persian cucumbers and English cucumbers is negligible, it's still ideal to use the Persian verity. Both cucumbers have super thin skin (that's why you'll see English cucumbers wrapped in vacuum-sealed plastic). This thin skin allows you to leave them unpeeled. However, while both are nearly seedless, Persian cucumbers have even less, making them perfect for salads and the ability to remain super crisp for longer! Persian cucumbers are also much smaller, typically 5-6 inches.

Persian cucumbers are the mildest and sweetest variety and contain less water and seeds, making them simple and easy to chop up finely for the Shirazi salad and remain very crisp. Additionally, this is why a garden cucumber won't work. They contain too many large seeds, have a high water content, have tougher skin, and can taste bitter.

How To Make Shirazi Salad

1. Finely dice up your fresh cucumbers, tomatoes, red onion, and any fresh herbs you are using.
2. Whisk together the citrus juice, olive oil, and seasonings before pouring them over the freshly chopped veggies.
3. Toss the salad to fully coat in the vinaigrette and serve immediately or place it in the fridge to chill and marinate for 30-60 minutes.

Additional Tips & Tricks

• When dicing up your fresh veggies, chop them into ¼-inch sized pieces. Not as fine as tabbouleh, more like a Pico de Gallo cut. It helps to use a very sharp knife to get even cuts.
• If your tomatoes are too juicy and seedy, after dicing them, rinse, and drain them under water to remove excess liquid and juices.
• Marinating the salad in the fridge brings out more flavor, but if you prefer your diced veggies to remain super crisp, toss the salad with the vinaigrette right before serving it instead.

How To Serve

A Persian Shirazi salad is perfect to serve on its own or with grilled meats or veggies, rice dishes, soups, even as a salsa with gluten-free pita chips! It's great to place alongside a table of appetizers with some hummus or finger foods like dolmades. It works well as a topping to lighten and brighten any dish or as a palate cleanser between courses.

Storage

Persian cucumber and tomato salad is ideally served right away. The longer it marinates, the less crisp it will be. However, its perfectly tasty and a great salad or salsa to make ahead or meal prep for a few days. You can store leftover Shirazi salad in a closed container in the fridge for 5-7 days.

More Middle Eastern Recipes:

• Slow Cooker Fesenjan Chicken
• Healthy Air Fryer Falafel
• Grilled Ras El Hanout Chicken
• Cold Middle Eastern Lentil Salad
• Grilled Chicken Shawarma with Yogurt Tahini Sauce & Marinated Veggies
• Sesame Seed Crunch Candy

Print

Let the fresh and beautiful veggies shine (even though cucumbers and tomatoes are fruits but...) Simple and easy, naturally gluten-free, vegan, and allergy-free, it's the perfect side, light meal, or appetizer any day of the week!

So tell me:

+ Have you ever had Persian cucumbers? They're an ideal snacking cucumber too!

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