Persian Shirazi Salad

Persian shirazi salad, aka salad-e shirazi, is a classic Iranian salad made with cucumber, tomato, onion, dried crushed mint, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and black pepper.

Traditional shirazi salad is always on the menu at Persian restaurants. And for good reason- this simple salad is tasty! Shirazi salad is one of my favorite salads because it uses simple ingredients and makes the perfect side dish for grilled meats like chicken tawook, lamb kabobs, or beef shish kabobs.

My Persian cousin, Molly, gave me all the tips and tricks for this authentic shirazi salad recipe. Speaking of cousins, the cousins of shirazi salad are tabbouleh and fattoush salad.

Shirazi Salad

Salad e shirazi (shirazi salad) is one of the most popular Persian salads. Shirazi salad originated in the beautiful city of Shiraz in southwestern Iran. This Persian cucumber salad is easy to make with chopped veggies and a citrusy salad dressing. The crunchy sweetness from the crisp Persian cucumbers and Roma tomatoes combines with freshly squeezed lemon and bright dried mint leaves. The key to the best shirazi salad recipe is quality olive oil and fresh ingredients.

Ingredient Notes

It's important to use seedless cucumbers like small Persian cucumbers or a large English cucumber. Also, Persian and English cucumbers have a thin skin that doesn't need to be removed. Other types of cucumbers are bitter, too watery, and have thick skin.

The two best tomatoes for this salad are Roma tomatoes and grape tomatoes. Substitute any ripe and firm tomato.

A key ingredient for this Persian salad is dried mint. Fresh mint does not have the same flavor as dry mint and should not be substituted.

How To Make Shirazi Salad

Cut the red onion in half. Slice longways.

Turn the red onion 90 degrees and finely chop the onion into small pieces.

Cut the ends off the Persian cucumber. Slice the cucumber in half.

Slice each half into long strips. Turn the cucumber 90 degrees to chop finely.

Chopping Tip: chop all of the vegetables finely to the same size.

Cut the Roma tomatoes in half. Scoop the seeds out of the tomatoes with a spoon.

Slice the tomatoes into long strips. Turn 90 degrees and finely chop the Roma tomatoes.

Squeeze the lemon separating the seeds from the lemon juice in a small bowl.

Crush the dried mint with your hands and add it to the lemon juice.

Pro tip: If eating this salad later, keep the dried mint and lemon juice separated until ready to serve.

Add the chopped Persian cucumbers, Roma tomatoes, and finely diced red onion to a large bowl. Pour the lemon juice and dried mint mixture on top.

Mix the chopped ingredients to coat each piece with lemon juice fully. Right before serving Shirazi salad, pour extra virgin olive oil on top. Add a pinch of salt and black pepper to taste.

Important Tips

Don't peel the cucumbers. Persian cucumber and English cucumber have thin skins and small seeds. Add the lemon juice, olive oil, and dried mint right before serving. That keeps this fresh salad crunchy.

Substitutions & Variations

• Substitute white onion for the red onion. Do not use yellow onion or sweet onion because they are too sweet.
• You can substitute an English cucumber for every 3 Persian cucumbers.
• Don't use regular cucumbers found in the U.S. These large cucumbers have thick skin and bitter seeds. English and Persian cucumbers have fewer seeds.
• Limes, lemons, or Persian limes can be used.
• Grape tomatoes are an excellent substitution for Roma tomatoes.
• Traditional salad shirazi uses only these ingredients, but you can dress up the salad with whatever you like. For example, fresh herbs like chopped fresh parsley go well with this bright and citrusy salad. Or, add fresh veggies like chopped bell peppers or carrots.
• Make the olive oil dressing in a mason jar ahead of time by adding fresh lemon juice and olive oil together. If refrigerated, the olive oil will solidify. Leave at room temperature for 15 minutes to liquefy again.

📋 Recipe

Persian Shirazi Salad

Author: Lily Guidry

Course: Salad

Cuisine: Mediterranean

Prep: 15 minutes mins

Total: 15 minutes mins

4.93 from 14 votes

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Servings 6

Persian shirazi salad is a crunchy, fresh, and delicious finely chopped Persian cucumber and tomato salad with dried mint, lemon (or lime), and extra virgin olive oil. It's an excellent salad side dish to accompany grilled meats.

Ingredients

 

US Customary - Metric

• 6 Persian cucumbers or 2 English cucumbers
• 6 medium Roma tomatoes
• 1 small red onion
• 3 small Persian limes or 1 large lemon about 5 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoon dried mint
• 3 tablespoon olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

• Peel and finely chop the red onion. 
• Cut the ends off the cucumber. Cut in half. Slice longways into fourths. Chop the Persian cucumber finely.
• Cut the Roma tomato in half. Remove the seeds. Finely chop the Roma tomato.
• Squeeze the lemon. Add the salt, pepper, and dried mint.
• In the same bowl, add the finely chopped Roma tomatoes, red onion, and Persian cucumbers. Pour the lemon juice, salt, pepper, and dried mint on top. Mix together well.
• Add high quality extra virgin olive oil prior to serving. 

Equipment

Chef's Knife

Cutting Board

Lemon Squeezer

Knife Sharpener

Magnetic Knife Block

Hand Painted Serving Bowl

Video

Notes

• Chop the Roma tomatoes, Persian cucumbers, and red onion into fine pieces of the same size.
• Only use Persian cucumber or English cucumber because they are not bitter in taste. 
• Use Roma tomatoes because they don't have many seeds. Remove the seeds from the Roma tomatoes before chopping.
• Add the olive oil right before eating. 
• Make ahead: Don't add lemon juice, olive oil, or salt to the chopped vegetables. These ingredients break down the cucumbers and tomatoes, altering the taste. Also, the salad will not be crunchy. 
• Storage: Store the chopped cucumbers, onions, and tomatoes in the fridge without the salad dressing for up to 2 days. Once you are ready to eat the salad, mix the dried mint and lemon juice. Add the salt and pepper to taste. Pour the olive oil at the end.

Nutrition

Serving: 1.5 cups | Calories: 102 kcal | Carbohydrates: 10.8 g | Protein: 2.3 g | Fat: 6.8 g | Saturated Fat: 0.9 g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5.9 g | Trans Fat: 0 g | Cholesterol: 0 mg | Sodium: 4.1 mg | Fiber: 1.5 g | Sugar: 3.2 g

dietary categoryDietary Categories: Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Mediterranean Diet, Vegan, Vegetarian