Arabic salad is a vibrant and refreshing recipe commonly found in Palestinian cuisine and the Levant region. It's a simple yet flavorful mix of fresh vegetables primarily; tomatoes, cucumbers, and onions, finely chopped and tossed with fresh herbs like parsley and mint.
This Arabic salad recipe is lightly dressed with a mixture of olive oil, fresh lemon juice, and salt, enhancing its natural flavors with this tangy light dressing.
This salad is often enjoyed as a side dish and complements various meat dishes, such as roasted chicken, or rice dishes such as hashweh, maqlubah, or warak dawali, and many others like mujdara, falafel, and sfeeha.
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What is Arabic Salad?
In Arabic salad is referred to as "salata" or "salta" سلطة. The Arabic salad recipe is a traditional Middle Eastern dish known for its fresh ingredients. It's typically made with finely chopped vegetables such as tomatoes, cucumbers, and onions, combined with fresh herbs like parsley and mint.
The salad is dressed with a simple mixture of olive oil and lemon juice, giving it a bright, tangy flavor.
Arabic salad is often served as a side dish with many main course meals and pairs well with a variety of Middle Eastern dishes, including grilled meats, falafel, and as part of a mezze platter. It's appreciated for its refreshing taste and the vibrant, colorful presentation of its ingredients.
Equipment
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Cutting Board - This is for chopping fresh vegetables.
Knife - For cutting all the herbs and vegetables.
Large Bowl - For mixing all the vegetables.
Ingredients
Full ingredients, measurements, and instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Persian Cucumbers - Persian cucumbers are used with this salad, they're seedless, extra crisp, and have a mild sweet flavor.
- Fresh Tomatoes - I like to use Roma tomatoes with this recipe, they don't contain a lot of juice which makes them a great option with the salad.
- Fresh Parsley - I like to use Italian parsley, the leaves are soft and have a great peppery taste.
- Fresh Mint - a small amount of fresh mint goes a long way with this recipe, the mint adds a great flavor to the overall taste of this salad.
- Green Onions - Green onions have a milder taste than regular onions and pair well with all the other ingredients.
- Fresh Lemon Juice - Fresh lemon juice is highly recommended to use for dressing.
- Sea Salt - I like to use sea salt.
- Extra Virgin Olive oil - Good quality extra virgin olive oil makes a big difference in the taste.
Instructions
Step 1 | Chop vegetables into small pieces, each vegetable is chopped about ¼ of an inch or smaller.
Step 2 | Chop green onions. Pick mint leaves and parsley leaves, wash well, rinse, and chop finely.
Step 3 | Place all chopped vegetables in a large bowl.
Step 4 | Pour freshly squeezed lemon, sea salt, and extra virgin olive oil over the salad and mix everything well together.
Variations and Substitutions
- You can use red onion instead of green onions.
- You can add black pepper or sprinkle some sumac spices to this salad, (sumac is a spice with a tangy flavor and is a key ingredient in musakhan).
- Feta cheese pairs well with this salad, you can add 1 tablespoon on top of the salad before serving.
- While Persian cucumbers taste better and are highly recommended with this salad, English cucumbers can be used instead.
- Additional ingredients such as bell peppers, and radishes can work well with this recipe.
- You can replace the herbs with any type of lettuce.
- If you don't have lemon juice, white or red vinegar works well as a substitute.
Storage
- You can chop the vegetables the day before and place them in an airtight container. Pour the dressing before serving.
- Arabic salad is best enjoyed fresh. However, you can store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1-2 days. The vegetables may release some water, so you might want to drain it before serving.
Expert Tips
- Salad doesn't keep very well once it's dressed. Always add the dressing just before serving.
- Another way to prepare the salad dressing is by placing all the dressing ingredients in a mason jar mixing well and then pouring over the salad.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, you don't you can chop them into larger pieces, except the herbs I recommend finely chopped herbs.
While both are Middle Eastern salads, tabbouleh primarily includes much more parsley as the main ingredient, with a smaller amount of tomatoes and cucumbers, and includes bulgur wheat. Arabic salad focuses more on a balanced mix of various chopped vegetables and herbs without bulgur wheat.
Yes, Arabic salad is naturally vegan and gluten-free, making it suitable for a variety of dietary preferences and restrictions.
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Arabic Salad Recipe
- Prep Time: 15
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 2 1x
- Category: Salads, Vegan
- Method: chopping
- Cuisine: Palestinian/Middle Eastern
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Arabic salad is a vibrant and refreshing recipe commonly found in Palestinian cuisine and the Levant region. It's a simple yet flavorful mix of fresh vegetables primarily; tomatoes, cucumbers, and onions, finely chopped and tossed with fresh herbs like parsley and mint.
Ingredients
For Vegetables
- 2 Persian cucumbers finely chopped
- 2 Roma tomatoes finely chopped
- 4 oz green onions finely chopped
- 4 oz parsley finely chopped
- 2 oz of fresh mint finely chopped
For Dressing
- ¼ cup lemon juice (adjust to taste)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ¼-½ teaspoon sea salt (adjust to taste)
Instructions
- Chop vegetables into small pieces, each vegetable is chopped about ¼ of an inch or smaller.
- Chop green onions.
- Pick mint leaves and parsley leaves, wash well, rinse, and chop finely.
- Place all chopped vegetables in a large bowl.
- Pour freshly squeezed lemon, sea salt, and extra virgin olive oil over the salad and mix everything well together.
Notes
- Salad doesn't keep very well once it's dressed. Always add the dressing just before serving.
- Another way to prepare the salad dressing is by placing all the ingredients in a mason jar mixing well and then pouring over the salad.
Reem says
I love this simple recipe, works well with so many dishes. Thank you for sharing.
Wafa Shami says
That's great to hear. Enjoy.
Kathy says
Simple and yet delicious, I love all your recipes, thanks for sharing.
Wafa Shami says
Hi Kathy, great to hear. Thank you.