Shirazi Cucumber Tomato and Chickpea Salad
Our Shirazi Cucumber Tomato and Chickpea Salad is a traditional Shirazi Salad, to which we added chickpeas, which are also used extensively in Mediterranean and Middle East cuisines. We like the texture and extra flavor layer the chickpeas add. The salad is named after the city of Shiraz in Iran, which is credited with its creation in the late 1800’s when the tomato was introduced.
A traditional Shirazi Salad is made from Persian cucumbers, tomatoes, and red onion. The dressing is made from a number of herbs, which can be dill, spearmint, basil, and others, then added to lime juice, and olive oil. Unripe sour grape juice is traditionally used, but since it’s hard to find, lime juice is a good substitute. We created our Middle East Herb Medley, using the traditional herbs found in the Shirazi dressing. It can also be used in other Mediterranean dishes.
In many families, Shirazi Salad is served every day, but we serve it as a side dish with Middle East dishes, like shish kafta, kabobs, shawarma, and others. We also like to serve it as an appetizer with fresh baked pita bread. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do.
Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients:
1 Pound Persian cucumbers (about 4), ¼” diced. English Cucumbers can be substituted
1 Pound Tomatoes (about 3 or 4 medium), cored, seeded and ¼” diced
½ Medium Red Onion, ¼” diced
1 15.5 oz. Can Chickpeas, Rinsed Well
⅓ Cup Freshly Squeezed Lime Juice (from about 3 limes)
3 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons Sheffield’s Middle East Herb Medley
½ Cup Chopped Flat Leaf Parsley
1 Teaspoon Kosher Flake Salt
½ Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, add the diced cucumbers, tomatoes, chickpeas, and red onions. Stir to combine.
In a medium mixing bowl, add the lime juice and olive oil. Whisk to combine. Add the Middle East Herb Medley, parsley, salt and pepper. Whisk again to combine all the ingredients.
Just before serving, pour the dressing over the salad and toss to combine well, to coat the salad evenly. It is best served at room temperature or slightly chilled. Cover and refrigerate any leftover salad for 2 days, but it’s so good, there might not be any. Please enjoy.