Salads

Shirazi salad

Iran’s everyday salad from the city of Shiraz: finely diced cucumber, tomato and onion with lime and dried mint. The perfect partner for rice and kebabs.

  • 15 min15 prep · 0 cook
  • EasyDifficulty
  • 90 kcalper serving

Ingredients

4 servings
  • Cucumbers3
  • Tomatoes3
  • Red onion1
  • Limes2
  • Dried mint1 tbsp
  • Olive oil2 tbsp
  • Saltto taste
  • Black pepperto taste

Missing something? Ingredients with × can be left out.

Steps

  1. 1

    Dice the cucumbers, tomatoes and onion into small cubes of about 5 mm.

  2. 2

    Put everything in a bowl, discarding the watery tomato seeds if they are very juicy.

  3. 3

    Whisk the lime juice with the oil, salt and pepper. Rub the dried mint between your palms into the dressing.

  4. 4

    Pour the dressing over the vegetables, toss and chill so the flavours mingle.

  5. 5

    Serve cold, spooning up some of the juices with each portion.

Tips and questions
Why is everything cut so small?
The tiny dice is the signature of Shirazi salad: every spoonful gets a bit of each vegetable and plenty of juice.
Can I use lemon instead of lime?
Yes. In Iran it is also made with lemon juice or verjuice (ab-ghooreh), which gives a softer sourness.
How long does it keep?
It is best the same day; after that the cucumber goes soft, though the juices are lovely spooned over rice.

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