Name: Simple Shirazi Salad Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Persian
Ingredients: 1 English cucumber or 3-4 Persian cucumbers, diced; 4 Roma tomatoes or 1-1.5 cups grape or cherry tomatoes, diced; 1 small or 1/4-1/2 large red onion, diced; 3 tbsp finely chopped fresh mint; Juice of 1 lemon; 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil; 2 tbsp red wine vinegar; Salt & pepper

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Shirazi Salad is a simple Persian salad that consists of cucumber, red onion, and tomato, dressed with herbs, lemon juice, and olive oil. It’s the perfect easy salad that makes a great side dish for any meal!

a bowl of shirazi salad made with cucumber, tomato, and red onion

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Shirazi salad is one of my favorite easy no-cook side dishes to make. The base of the recipe is three simple vegetables: cucumber, red onion, and tomato. You can dress it up with any combination of olive oil, lemon juice, and red wine vinegar, and add some fresh herbs like parsley or mint. And the longer you let the salad sit in the dressing, the tastier it gets as the vegetables marinate!

Cucumber and Tomato Salad (Shirazi Salad)

I make a lot of Mediterranean- and Middle Eastern-inspired dishes at home, like my Mediterranean chicken wrap, so this salad is one of the most frequently made side dishes in my house! It’s ridiculously easy, simple, and it keeps well in the refrigerator.

Shirazi salad, or salad-e Shirazi, is a simple Persian salad that comes from and is named after the city of Shiraz in soutehrn Iran. It makes a great side dish for grilled meats or vegetarian dishes like falafel and couscous! Think of it as a middle eastern version of a pico de gallo.

Why you’ll love this recipe

It’s simple. Simple is sometimes best! This salad only contains three vegetables, plus some pantry staple ingredients.
It’s bright and refreshing. It’s like summer in a bowl! It’s the perfect side dish to add to a rice or couscous bowl with your favorite protein to add some brightness to the dish.
It’s spoon-able. My favorite part of this salad is how small each ingredient gets diced, so that you can easily eat it with a spoon, or even eat it as a dip with some chips!

Shirazi Salad Ingredients

A traditional Shirazi salad combines finely diced cucumbers, tomato, and red onion. It is usually dressed with ab-ghooreh, a sour grape juice, olive oil, and dried mint. My version is a slightly different, modern twist on the classic salad using more readily available ingredients that I keep in my pantry.

Cucumber. English cucumbers or Persian cucumbers work best for this salad. Persian cucumbers are seedless, and though English cucumbers still have seeds, they are small. I have used regular cucumbers for this salad, but I remove the seeds.
Tomato. I typically use Roma tomatoes for this recipe, but I often buy a large container of grape tomatoes from Costco and use those, too! A traditional Shirazi salad calls for removing the seeds from the Roma tomatoes, which I always do, but you don’t have to.
Red onion. I used 1 small red onion, or you can use 1/4-1/2 large red onion. It is best to dice the onion as small as possible.
Mint. Traditionally, dried mint is used in this salad. If you can’t find dried mint, a few tablespoons of fresh chopped mint is best! You can also use a combination of both dried and fresh mint.
Dressing. This salad doesn’t require much, but I like to drizzle on some quality extra virgin olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice or red wine vinegar.
Salt and pepper. All you need to season this salad!

How to Make Shirazi Salad – With Tips

Making this cucumber and tomato salad is so simple, and it comes together quickly! Follow these easy steps, and keep scrolling for the full recipe card with measurements.

1. Chop the cucumber, tomato, and onion into small pieces.

It is important to dice each of the vegetables into small pieces. Aim for 1/4 inch cubes or slightly smaller.

For the cucumber, it is best to use English or Persian cucumbers. Chop off the ends, then slice lengthwise. Cut each slice into strips, then dice into small cubes. If you are using a regular cucumber, remove the seedy middle of the cucumber and peel the cucumber before chopping.

For the tomatoes, if you are using Roma tomatoes, you can either keep or remove the seeds. I prefer to remove the seeds and core and dice the rest. If your tomato is extra juicy, place the tomatoes in a fine mesh strainer to allow juices to drip off so you’re not left with a watery salad. If you are using grape or cherry tomatoes, cut them in half lengthwise first, then make 1-2 cuts in the other direction to create a small dice.

2. Season the salad.

Season the salad with salt and pepper, and add your fresh chopped or dried herbs, then toss. Make sure your fresh herbs are finely chopped as well!

3. Dress the salad.

Drizzle some olive oil and either lemon juice or red wine vinegar over the salad and toss. You can serve the salad immediately, or let the salad marinate for about an hour before serving so the flavors can meld together.

Recipe Variations and Substitutions

Cucumber. English or Persian is best, but a regular cucumber can work in a pinch! Just peel and remove the seeds before dicing.
Tomatoes. Roma tomatoes are best, but grape or cherry tomatoes diced small work in a pinch.
Red onion. For a less pungent taste, shallots are a good substitute.
Lemon juice. You can replace lemon juice with lime juice.
Vinegar. I love to add a splash of red wine vinegar to this salad for its robust flavor. I would not use any other kind of vinegar in this salad.
Herbs. If you don’t have dried mint, you can use fresh mint, dill, parsley, or cilantro, or any combination of these fresh or dried herbs.

Storing Shirazi Salad

Store Shirazi salad in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.

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