Chopped Middle Eastern Salad

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This Middle Eastern salad is a cinch to make and full of fresh ingredients. It's a combination of cucumbers, tomatoes, fruit, and a quick vinaigrette.

It's similar to fattoush salad, in that it has tomatoes and cucumbers as the main ingredients, but it's quicker + easier to make! This recipe, in Arabic, is called Salata Baladi which translates to "salad of the country/land".

It's a super common recipe served in Jordan, Palestine, Syria, and Lebanon and can be eaten as a side for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

Why You Should Make this Salad

This salad only takes about 10 minutes to make and can be served as a side salad or a light lunch. It's fresh, crunchy, and pairs perfectly with lots of dishes.

In the Middle East, it's really common to have fresh cucumbers and tomatoes as a side for a meal like chicken and rice or mujaddara.

There are many variations on chopped salads in the Middle East, but they'll often include fresh herbs and red onions. I like to add pomegranates or pomegranate molasses to mine just to add a bit more flavor!

What You'll Need to Make this Salad

To make this recipe, you'll need:

• Cucumbers. You can use hothouse cucumbers, English cucumbers, or small Persian cucumbers. My favorite are the small Persian cucumbers, but they can be difficult to find year-round. If you use a regular, larger cucumber, make sure to peel it so you don't have any bitter skin.
• Tomatoes. You can use cherry tomatoes or Roma tomatoes.
• Fresh herbs. Mint and parsley are the most commonly used, but if you like another soft herb better (like cilantro or purslane) those will work as well.
• Red onion. You'll want to have a diced red onion. If it's bitter or on the older side, make sure to soak it in water.
• Pomegranate seeds. These are optional, but they do add some lovely crunch and flavor.
• Olive oil. Choose a good quality olive oil because it will be the base of the vinaigrette.
• Freshly squeezed lemon juice
• Salt and pepper

More Mediterranean Salad Recipes You’ll Love

If you like Mediterranean flavors like this recipe, check out some of our other favorite salads.

• Mediterranean Summer Salad - juicy tomatoes paired with fresh herbs
• Roasted Chickpea Salad - crunchy chickpeas paired with spring greens and fresh veggies
• Grilled Halloumi Salad - a savory, tasty salad that combines fresh ingredients with grilled halloumi cheese

Tips for Making a Middle Eastern Salad

• You can use hothouse cucumbers, English cucumbers, or Persian cucumbers for this recipe. Use 3 small, Persian cucumbers or one large hothouse or English cucumber.
• If using a hothouse cucumber, make sure to peel it. The skin is too bitter for this salad.
• If you have an older red onion or it's bitter, soak the diced onion in cold water while you chop the other vegetables. This will remove the bitter edge.
• If you can't find fresh pomegranate seeds, use one tablespoon of pomegranate molasses in the vinaigrette to get the pomegranate flavor.
• If you'd like to add a little spice to this recipe, top it with some sumac.