This Middle Eastern vegetable salad with pomegrantes is a cinch to make and full of fresh ingredients. It's a wonderful fresh salad with a combination of cucumbers, tomatoes, fresh mint, and a quick vinaigrette.
This Arabic salad is similar to fattoush salad in that it has tomatoes and cucumbers as the main ingredients (but no lettuce), and it's quicker and easier to make! This recipe, in Arabic, is called Salata Baladi, which translates to "salad of the country/land".
Emily's Recipe Notes
I've eaten this salad for years, but when I started making this iteration of it with pomegranate seeds I lived in Jordan and had a neighbor with a pomegranate tree and I went wild adding it to everything! They're such a juicy pop of flavor and color in any dish. I like adding pomegranate molasses as well to really punch up the fruitiness.
I love this salad because it's ready in just a few minutes and makes for a fresh, crunchy side. I typically serve it with Mediterranean meals like Chicken Kabobs, Hawaij Chicken, and Mujaddara. But it pairs well with other mains like Baked Mahi Mahi or Blackened Shrimp.
Chopped Salad Ingredients
Middle Eastern Salad Ingredients
- 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.
- Fresh tomatoes - Be sure to use ripe tomatoes. You can use Roma, cherry tomatoes or your fresh garden tomatoes.
- Fresh herbs - Fresh parsley and mint are the most commonly used, but if you like another soft herb better (like cilantro or purslane) those will work as well.
- Red onion - Red onions are great for eating raw - plus they add such a beautiful color. They have a more mellow flavor than other onions, but still have a little kick.
- Pomegranate seeds - These are optional, but they do add some lovely crunch and flavor.
- Olive oil - Choose a good quality extra virgin olive oil because it will be the base of the vinaigrette.
- Fresh lemon juice - I recommend the juice from a freshly squeezed lemon. The lemon works with the olive oil for a delicious, simple dressing.
- Salt and black pepper- We'll use salt and pepper to season the salad and enhance all the flavors.
See the recipe card below for the full ingredient list and complete recipe.
Instructions
- Chop the tomatoes, cucumber, pomegranate, onion, parsley, and mint into small pieces and add to a large bowl.
- Whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.
- Top the salad with the dressing and toss to combine.
- Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator for up to three days.
Substitutions & Variations
- If you don't have a red onion, you can use a shallot in its place.
- For this recipe, you can use regular cucumbers (hothouse), English cucumbers, or Persian cucumbers. Use three small Persian cucumbers or one large hothouse or English cucumber.
- If you'd like to add a little spice to this recipe, top it with some sumac.
More Delicious Salad Recipes
- Blood Orange Salad - With fresh blood orange slices, a mix of baby greens, creamy avocado, and feta cheese, all mixed with a tasty vinaigrette, this salad is so full of flavor and a must try.
- Grilled Halloumi Salad - This savory, tasty salad combines fresh ingredients with grilled halloumi cheese for a lovely salad.
- Roasted Radish Salad - This roasted radish salad with a yogurt dressing is a wonderful springtime recipe with exciting flavors.
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Middle Eastern Chopped Veggie Salad with Pomegranates
Ingredients
- 3 cups cherry tomatoes halved*
- 1 large cucumber peeled and diced**
- ½ cup pomegranate arils
- ½ red onion finely diced
- ½ cup chopped parsley
- 2 tablespoons chopped mint
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper
Instructions
- Combine the tomatoes, cucumber, pomegranate, onion, parsley, and mint in a large mixing bowl.
- Whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.
- Top the salad with the dressing and toss to combine.
- Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator for up to three days.
Video
Notes
- If using a hothouse cucumber, make sure to peel it. The skin is too bitter for this salad.
- If you soak the diced red onion in cold water for a few minutes, it will remove the bitterness of the onion if you get one that's a bit bitter.
- If you can't find fresh pomegranate seeds, use one tablespoon of pomegranate molasses in the vinaigrette to get the pomegranate flavor.
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