The Persian salad, also known as Shirazi, is an Iranian salad originating from the Shiraz region in the southern part of Iran. A variation on the recipe for squid ring salad, but in a vegetarian version.
A summer dish, fresh and colorful, served as a side dish, or as a main course and often also alongside rice dishes. Considered a national dish in Iran, it is prepared with very simple ingredients: plum tomatoes, cucumbers, and finely chopped onion. To these are added mint, basil, and verjuice.
In today’s recipe, I replaced the latter ingredient with lemon juice. A salad with a crunchy and moist texture, no cooking required, and it can be prepared in advance to better enhance its freshness and flavors. Curious to discover how to prepare it? Here is the recipe below, because the Persian salad will be ready in a click!
If you are interested in other recipes for summer and no-cook main dishes, also read:
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Very Cheap
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 4 People
- Cooking methods: No Cooking
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Summer
- Energy 145.98 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 15.47 (g) of which sugars 4.18 (g)
- Proteins 1.52 (g)
- Fat 9.44 (g) of which saturated 1.37 (g)of which unsaturated 0.04 (g)
- Fibers 2.41 (g)
- Sodium 614.76 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 137 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 12 oz plum tomatoes
- 1 cucumber
- 1 red onion
- 1 tsp parsley (fresh)
- 10 leaves basil
- 4 leaves mint (fresh)
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 35 g lemon juice
- salt (to taste)
- pepper (to taste)
Tools
- Cutting Board
- Knife
- Bowl
- Peeler
- Small Bowl
Steps
First, wash the cucumbers and tomatoes. Then cut the latter in half and remove the seeds. Then cut them into very small cubes. Trim the cucumbers and peel them in alternating stripes. Then cut them in half lengthwise. Remove the central seeds and cut them into fairly small cubes. Also, clean the onion and chop it into cubes. Then put everything in a large bowl. The peculiarity of this salad is precisely that the vegetables are all cut into small cubes.
Now prepare the dressing. Clean the parsley, basil, and mint and finely chop them with a knife. Transfer them into a small bowl, also add the lemon juice, salt, pepper, and oil, and emulsify everything.
Pour the dressing over the vegetables and mix. The Persian salad is ready to be served!
Storage and Tips for Persian Salad
The Persian salad can be prepared in advance and stored in the refrigerator for 1 or 2 days in a container with a lid. In this case, I recommend adding the salt just before serving.
FAQ Questions and Answers for Persian Salad
What can I substitute for plum tomatoes?
As an alternative to plum tomatoes, you can use beefsteak or cherry tomatoes, making sure, however, to always remove the seeds.
