Salad Shirazi (Persian Cucumber Tomato Salad)

About This Recipe

Each country has its own traditional salad. Greeks have horiatiki -Traditional Greek salad and Turks have Gavurdagi (Turkish walnut salad). And us Iranians have our beloved salad shirazi, a simple combination of tomatoes, cucumbers and onions with an abundance of flavor.  

Salad shirazi contains two words: salad, which is what we call salad in Farsi and shirazi which means from Shiraz, a city in the south west of Iran. I’ve been to Shiraz only once but I can easily say it’s one of the most beautiful cites in Iran. With all its flowers and amazing weather, Shiraz is a great place to visit in the springtime. 

The Origins of Shirazi Salad

As far as I know, this Persian salad originated from Shiraz and through the years it has made its way to many tables around the world. It’s probably the fresh flavor and crisp texture of this salad that has made it one of the staples in Persian cuisine since it compliments the flavors of the main dishes very well. Also, its simplicity and quick preparation time makes it a perfect healthy side dish on busy days.

Ingredients For Shirazi Salad

• Cucumbers: We traditionally use Persian cucumbers to make this recipe since they are seedless and very crisp. However, if that’s not available, English cucumbers work as well, but make sure to scoop the seeds out. You want the cucumbers to be fresh and firm. There is no need to peel the cucumbers.

• Tomatoes: Much the same as Turkish tomato salad, we are looking for fresh and firm tomatoes to make this recipe. Make sure they’re not too seedy and if they are, remove the soft seedy parts. The tomatoes are also going to be chopped finely. 

• Onions: Red onions work best for this recipe. The amount of onion you use depends on how much you like them in your salad. I usually go for one small red onion or half of a larger one. 

• Verjuice: These vegetables are combined with a simple dressing traditionally made with unripe or sour grape juice known as verjuice (ab-ghooreh). However, verjuice is not always available so for acidity and brightness we can simply use lemon or lime juice.

• Seasoning: You only need dried mint, salt and pepper. Don’t skip the dried mint! Dried mint brings so much flavor to this simple salad and that’s what makes it different from every other salad you’ve had.

How To Make Shirazi Salad

Step 1: Chop the vegetables

Chop the cucumbers finely and add the to a bowl. Deseed the tomatoes and chop them as well. Add them to the cucumber with chopped red onions.

Step 2: Season

Add the verjuice (or lemon/lime juice), dried mint, salt and pepper to the vegetables.

Step 3: Mix and serve

Using a spoon, stir the salad and make sure every bit of vegetable is mixed into the dressing. Taste and add more salt, dried mint or verjuice if needed. Refrigerate for 30 minutes and serve.

What To Serve with Shirazi Salad

Salad Shirazi is usually served with Persian rice dishes and main courses such as Adas Polo (Persian Lentil Rice), jeweled rice, lubia polo (Persian green bean rice) or Meygoo polo (shrimp and rice) as a side dish. It also pairs wonderfully with dishes like Persian Pistachio Meatballs for a flavorful and balanced meal.

This Persian cucumber tomato salad also makes a great side for grilled dishes such as zaatar chicken or beef shish kabob or street food such as arayes (Lebanese stuffed pitas). 

The acidity and freshness of this salad pairs well with many different dishes and brings more flavor to the table.

Frequently asked questions

Tips To Make The Best Shirazi Salad

• This Persian salad is best served chilled. Make it a couple of hours ahead of time and refrigerate it so the vegetables absorb the flavors of the dressing. Sometimes, vegetables starts releasing their juice and that’s fine.
• To make this recipe you need to use seedless cucumbers or ones with very small seeds like Persian or English cucumbers. These cucumbers also have very delicate skin so no peeling is needed.
• You can find dried mint at Middle Eastern, Iranian shops or online. If you don’t have dried mint, 1/2 cup chopped fresh mint would work, too.
• Tomatoes, cucumbers and onions are usually chopped very finely for this recipe. Chopping the veggies into very small pieces would help them absorb more flavor.