Cucumbers, tomatoes, red onion and parsley are tossed with a lemon tahini dressing in this fresh, delicious and simple salad.
My husband isn’t a big fan of salad, unless it’s some version of a cucumber and tomato salad, so this Simple Israeli Salad is definitely a favorite at my house.
I usually keep this salad pretty simple–hence the name–and only use cucumber and tomato, with a bit of red onion and parsley. But you don’t have to limit yourself to just those veggies.
People often add things like radishes and carrots. Really you can use almost any vegetable you have on hand. I think cucumbers and tomatoes are a must though!
The thing that really makes this salad different is that the veggies are diced very finely. In Israeli cooking, chopping the vegetables very small is a way to show you’ve made some effort.
But if you don’t have the time, or just like your vegetables chopped big, go for it!
You’ll definitely want to consider this recipe a guideline, or suggestion. But feel free to make additions and substitutions to suit your tastes.
The same goes for the dressing. You’ll want some combination of tahini paste, lemon juice and olive oil, with lots of garlic, but feel free to adjust the amounts to your liking.
Although my husband loves this salad, he is not a huge fan of tahini, so I don’t use as much as you might like. Feel free to experiment and make this salad your own.
This salad is so crunchy and fresh tasting, and loaded with beautiful, vibrant colors. It’s a great side for almost any spring or summer meal, and also a perfect light lunch on it’s own.
If you’ve never tried anything like this Simple Israeli Salad, you really should! You won’t be disappointed.
Be sure to save this Simple Israeli Salad recipe to your favorite Pinterest board for later.
Tips for Choosing and Storing Tomatoes
Appearance: Look for plump, heavy tomatoes with smooth skins. Avoid bruises, blemishes, or deep cracks, although fine cracks at the stem ends of ripe tomatoes shouldn’t affect flavor.
Are they ripe? Ripe tomatoes should be fragrant. If they have no aroma at all, the tomatoes were probably picked too soon and will never ripen.
Storing: Fully ripe tomatoes are soft and yield to the touch–you should plan use them immediately. Cold damages tomatoes and stops ripening, so as a rule, don’t refrigerate them, and don’t buy tomatoes from a refrigerated case.
Here’s what you’ll need to make Simple Israeli Salad
- Produce: cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, garlic, parsley, lemons
- Tahini paste
- Olive oil
- Salt
Simple Israeli Salad
Ingredients
For the salad
- 1 large English cucumber finely diced
- 4-5 Roma tomatoes finely diced
- 1 small red onion finely diced
- 1/3 cup fresh parsley chopped
For the dressing
- 3-4 tablespoons tahini paste
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 3-4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1-2 cloves garlic minced
- Salt to taste
Equipment
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, toss all of the diced vegetables until well combined.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients until smooth. Season with salt, to taste.
- Pour desired amount of dressing over the salad and stir gently to combine. Refrigerate until serving.
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Nutrition
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Who Dished It Up First: Adapted from Sababa
