There is a bowl I make when the afternoon light turns long and gold across the kitchen counter. Cucumber, tomato, onion, all cut small and even, glistening with lime. It is the Easy Shirazi Salad Recipe, and it asks for nothing but a sharp knife and a few quiet minutes.
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Shirazi salad comes from the city of Shiraz, where the air is warm and the food is bright. The dice is small on purpose. Each piece should be no bigger than a lentil, so every spoonful carries cucumber, tomato, and mint at once.
I learned to make it from a friend who never measured anything. She tasted, added more lime, tasted again. That is the whole method. Build the salad, then let your own tongue decide where it lands.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
About the Ingredients
4 Persian cucumbers (about 1 lb / 450 g), finely diced
Persian cucumbers are thin-skinned and nearly seedless, so they stay crisp. If you cannot find them, use English cucumbers and scrape out the watery seeds with a spoon.
4 medium ripe tomatoes (about 1.5 lb / 680 g), finely diced
Roma or vine tomatoes hold their shape best. If your tomatoes are pale and mealy, a pint of halved cherry tomatoes will taste far better.
1 small red onion (about 4 oz / 115 g), finely diced
Soak the diced onion in cold water for 10 minutes to soften its bite. A shallot is a gentler substitute if raw onion feels too loud.
1/2 cup (30 g) fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
Flat-leaf parsley tastes greener than curly. If you only have curly, use it, but chop it a little finer so it disappears into the dice.
1/4 cup (15 g) fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
Spearmint is the classic choice here. Dried mint works in a pinch, but use just 1 tablespoon and crumble it between your fingers first.
3 tablespoons (45 ml) fresh lime juice, about 2 limes
Lemon juice is the traditional substitute and equally good. Roll the limes on the counter before juicing to get more out of them.
2 tablespoons (30 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
A fruity, peppery oil is worth it here since the salad is raw. If your oil tastes flat, add a few drops of toasted sesame oil for depth.
1 teaspoon ground sumac
Sumac brings a tart, lemony dusting that is hard to replace. If you have none, add an extra squeeze of lime and a pinch of lemon zest.
3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste
Fine sea salt dissolves into the juices; kosher salt works too but needs a slightly heavier hand. Taste before serving, always.
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Freshly cracked pepper is brighter than pre-ground. A few turns of the mill is all this needs.
Tips & Tricks
Dice everything the same size
uneven pieces make a salad that eats like a pile of separate vegetables instead of one bright thing.
Salt at the end, not the start
salting early pulls water from the cucumbers and tomatoes and leaves you with a soupy bowl.
Drain before dressing
if your tomatoes are very ripe, let the diced pieces sit in a colander for five minutes and discard the liquid.
Chill the bowl, not the salad
a cold bowl keeps everything crisp without dulling the herbs the way long refrigeration can.
Pro Tips
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Dice the cucumbers
Cut the cucumbers into a fine, even dice, about the size of a lentil, and add them to a wide serving bowl. Wide is better than deep here, because it lets the pieces sit in a single layer and stay crisp.
2. Dice the tomatoes
Dice the tomatoes to match the cucumbers and add them to the bowl. If the pieces look wet, tip the bowl slightly and spoon off the standing juice before it dilutes the dressing.
3. Soften the onion
Soak the diced red onion in a small bowl of cold water for 10 minutes, then drain it well and pat it dry. This rinses away the harsh sulfur bite and leaves only sweetness and crunch.
4. Chop the herbs
Chop the parsley and mint finely, keeping them separate for now. You want them small enough to cling to the vegetables, but not so fine that they turn to paste on the board.
5. Whisk the dressing
In a small jar, shake or whisk the lime juice, olive oil, sumac, salt, and pepper until the mixture looks cloudy and slightly thickened. Taste it. It should be sharper than you think it needs to be, because the vegetables will soften it.
6. Fold everything together
Add the onion, parsley, and dressing to the bowl and fold gently with a large spoon until every piece is glossed. Scatter the mint over the top and fold once more, just to combine.
7. Rest and taste
Let the salad sit at room temperature for 15 minutes so the sumac blooms and the juices mingle. Taste, adjust salt and lime, and serve. The final texture should be crisp, wet, and light, never pooled with liquid at the bottom.
Delicious Variations
Herb-forward
swap half the parsley for dill and add a spoonful of chopped tarragon for a softer, anise-scented bowl.
Hearty
fold in 1 cup of cooked chickpeas or crumbled feta to turn the salad into a light lunch on its own.
Spiced
add 1/4 teaspoon of ground dried rose petals with the sumac for a floral note that echoes Persian restaurant versions.
How to Store Easy Shirazi Salad Recipe
Refrigerator
Keep in an airtight container for up to 2 days. The vegetables will release liquid, so drain the salad gently before serving and add a fresh squeeze of lime.
Freezer
Not recommended. Cucumbers and tomatoes collapse completely when frozen and thaw into a watery, limp texture.
Reheating
None needed. If it has been chilled, let it sit at room temperature for 10 minutes so the olive oil loosens and the herbs wake up.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can I make Shirazi salad ahead of time?
Yes, but keep the components separate and dress it just 15 minutes before serving. If you must assemble it early, dice the vegetables, store them in a colander over a bowl in the fridge, and add the dressing and herbs at the last moment.
Q: What is the difference between Shirazi salad and Israeli salad?
Shirazi salad is the Persian version and always includes lime or lemon juice, olive oil, mint, and sumac, while Israeli salad is typically just cucumber, tomato, and onion with lemon and oil. The sumac and mint are what give Shirazi its distinctly tart, aromatic character.
Q: How do I keep the salad from getting watery?
Salt only at the end and drain your diced tomatoes in a colander for five minutes first. Both steps remove the excess liquid that would otherwise pool at the bottom of the bowl.
Q: Can I use regular cucumbers instead of Persian?
Yes, but peel them and scoop out the seeds with a spoon before dicing. Regular cucumbers carry far more water and a thicker skin, and removing both keeps the salad crisp instead of soggy.
Q: Is Shirazi salad healthy?
Very. It is essentially raw vegetables with olive oil and citrus, so it is low in calories and high in vitamin C, potassium, and fiber, with most of its fat coming from heart-healthy olive oil.
Make this once and you will start dicing cucumbers without thinking about it, the way my friend did in her warm kitchen years ago. Serve it beside grilled chicken, rice, or bread and butter. Then taste, adjust, and make it yours. Less, but better.
Easy Shirazi Salad Recipe
Easy Shirazi Salad Recipe: a crisp Persian cucumber-tomato salad with mint and lime that brightens any table in 15 minutes, no cooking required.
🧂 Ingredients
- 4 Persian cucumbers (about 1 lb / 450 g), finely diced
- 4 medium ripe tomatoes (about 1.5 lb / 680 g), finely diced
- 1 small red onion (about 4 oz / 115 g), finely diced
- 1/2 cup (30 g) fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup (15 g) fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons (45 ml) fresh lime juice, about 2 limes
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon ground sumac
- 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
📋 Instructions
- 1Dice the cucumbers — Cut the cucumbers into a fine, even dice, about the size of a lentil, and add them to a wide serving bowl. Wide is better than deep here, because it lets the pieces sit in a single layer and stay crisp.
- 2Dice the tomatoes — Dice the tomatoes to match the cucumbers and add them to the bowl. If the pieces look wet, tip the bowl slightly and spoon off the standing juice before it dilutes the dressing.
- 3Soften the onion — Soak the diced red onion in a small bowl of cold water for 10 minutes, then drain it well and pat it dry. This rinses away the harsh sulfur bite and leaves only sweetness and crunch.
- 4Chop the herbs — Chop the parsley and mint finely, keeping them separate for now. You want them small enough to cling to the vegetables, but not so fine that they turn to paste on the board.
- 5Whisk the dressing — In a small jar, shake or whisk the lime juice, olive oil, sumac, salt, and pepper until the mixture looks cloudy and slightly thickened. Taste it. It should be sharper than you think it needs to be, because the vegetables will soften it.
- 6Fold everything together — Add the onion, parsley, and dressing to the bowl and fold gently with a large spoon until every piece is glossed. Scatter the mint over the top and fold once more, just to combine.
- 7Rest and taste — Let the salad sit at room temperature for 15 minutes so the sumac blooms and the juices mingle. Taste, adjust salt and lime, and serve. The final texture should be crisp, wet, and light, never pooled with liquid at the bottom.
Ingrid explores Scandinavian minimalist design and slow living. She writes about creating calm, functional spaces with fewer, better things.
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