Shirazi Salad

Salad-e Shirazi

A finely diced Persian cucumber, tomato and red onion salad from the city of Shiraz, dressed with lime juice, olive oil and dried mint. It is served alongside almost every Iranian meal as a bright, herbaceous counterpoint to rice and stews.

Prep

15 min

Total

15 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Easy

Recipe ingredients

• •300 g (10½ oz (about 3 Persian)) cucumber, Persian or English (hothouse); peel if waxed
• •250 g (8¾ oz (about 2 medium)) ripe tomato, firm, not overly juicy
• •80 g (2¾ oz (about ½ medium)) red onion, or white onion; soak in cold water 5 min if sharp
• •30 ml (2 tbsp) fresh lime juice, about 1–2 limes; can substitute lemon
• •15 ml (1 tbsp) extra-virgin olive oil
• •2 g (1 tsp) dried mint, rub between palms to wake the aroma
• •3 g (½ tsp) salt, or to taste
• •1 g (¼ tsp) black pepper, freshly ground, optional

Steps

1. 1 Rinse and dry the cucumber, tomatoes and onion. Peel the cucumber only if the skin is thick or waxed.
2. 2 Cut each vegetable into a small, even dice — about 5 mm (⅕ in) cubes. The defining feature of Salad-e Shirazi is the uniform, fine dice, so take your time here.
3. 3 Place the diced cucumber, tomato and onion in a non-reactive bowl. Add the salt and toss gently, then let sit 5 minutes to draw out a little juice.
4. 4 Add the lime juice, olive oil, dried mint and black pepper. Stir gently so the tomatoes keep their shape.
5. 5 Taste and adjust salt and lime. Serve immediately at room temperature, or chill for up to 30 minutes; do not dress too far in advance or the tomatoes will weep and the salad will lose its crisp texture.