This colorful refreshing salad is called Salad Shirazi, which is a Persian cucumber and tomato salad. Shirazi means from Shiraz, which is a beautiful city in southwestern Iran. It is the capital of Fars Province with friendly people, impressive historic sites and enchanting flower gardens. Among the many historic monuments in Shiraz frequented by tourists, are the memorials built for the two of the most famous Iranian poets, Hafez and Sadi whose books of poems are found in most Persian households and are translated to different languages.
Salad Shirazi is different from your ordinary salads. It is almost always served as a side salad. It has a citrusy mild flavored dressing that complements the main course without being too filling. I usually use Persian cucumbers or English cucumbers for this salad. Both of these varieties have very little seeds and skin so delicate that no peeling is needed.
However if I have to use regular cucumbers that have tougher skin and more seeds, I would peel and deseed them before dicing.
Salad Shirazi is served in most dinner parties and some restaurants in Iran. These days some restaurants have moved on to more elaborate salads that include more ingredients than just the few that are used in this salad, but this is an all-time favorite addition to most meals.
- 3 small Persian cucumbers or 1 English cucumber, unpeeled
- 3 ripe, firm Roma tomatoes
- ¼ medium red onion
- 2 TBSP thinly sliced sweet or hot green pepper (no seeds)
- 3 TBSP roughly chopped fresh cilantro (may also use fresh parsley, dill, or mint instead)
- DRESSING:
- ⅓ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- ¼ tsp fine lime zest
- 3 TBSP fresh squeezed lime juice (about one medium lime)
- 2 TBSP olive oil
- Dice the cucumbers, tomatoes and red onion into small cubes. Add to a medium bowl.
- Remove the seeds from the green pepper and slice very thin. Add to the bowl.
- Add the chopped cilantro.
- In a small bowl use a whisk to combine the lime juice, lime zest, salt, pepper and olive oil.
- Add to the salad ingredients. Toss gently to coat. Serve immediately.
UPDATE: For a delicious change try substituting fresh shallots for the red onions in this recipe and see which one you like better.
This I love.
Thanks Vicki, glad to hear that 🙂
Homa Jaan, Your salad came out awesome, so refreshing for the pallet & so yummy! For me though no salad in the world will ever come close to salad Shirazi.
Thank you for sharing your love of cooking with us all.
Ferryal jan, Nooshe joon! I feel the same way about Salad Shirazi. Thank you for your lovely comment!
This is good and is not like the traditional shirazi salad that Persian/ Armenian restaurants serve.
Cassandra, thanks for your comment 🙂
So what’s the traditional one like?
So easy and so delicious. Thanks.
Thank you Wael; glad you liked this!
Wow! I had most ingredients fresh from our garden and greenhouse today. I was searching for a new recipe and found this gem. We loved it!!!!! I can’t wait to make more of your recipes. A little taste of Persia has come to Alaska thanks to your wonderful site. Thank you for the hard work and generosity in sharing the food of your culture with the world!!!!
Hello Denyse; thanks for your comment and welcome! It’s lovely to hear that you grow your own produce; can’t beat the taste of homegrown veggies! It’s a pleasure to share my recipes with readers like you; please enjoy them and write me back and share your input when you try them. Keep in touch and have a wonderful weekend in beautiful Alaska 🙂
This was delicious!! Very refreshing and light and full of flavors!! Thank you for a great recipe!!
Hello Donna; so good to hear from you. I’m happy that you liked this salad! Have a great week and please keep in touch 🙂
Sooo delicious and refreshing. Mom and grandma loved! Will be making this in the future with many meals as well. Thank you and cheers! 🙂
Hello Tyana; thanks for your lovely comment. My regards to your mom and grandma; so glad this recipe has met their approval! Have a great weekend and keep in touch 🙂
There are no green peppers or cilantro (!) in authentic Shirazi salad. I realize there are regional and family variations of this recipe, but cilantro?! I’m sure it’s tasty but it’s not authentic Persian!
Oh I actually love cilantro in this salad! You are more than welcome to use your own recipe without the cilantro 😉
I LOVE this salad! It’s my go-to food whenever I feel nauseous during my pregnancy. I always feel better and more refreshed after eating this 😊
Awww, thank goodness this is helping! I used to carry a bag of cut lemons and a bag of saltines in my purse 😉
Thanks so much for writing to me. Take care of yourself, and please keep in touch. Sending lots of love your way!
This salad is so good. I made it today for the 3rd time. It is so refreshing. Love everything with cilantro. We’ve been having exceptionally hot weather so it is perfect.
Hi Tery, you’re so right, this is the perfect time of year for this salad! I’m thrilled that you’re enjoying it. Please stay in touch and keep cool 🙂
Beautiful salad! Fresh and the lime zest takes it up a notch!
Glad you like the lime zest in this recipe dear Negar! Salad Shirazi is really the best ever! Take care 🙂
Caesar used to be our fave salad, but hands down this salad is the most satisfying for flavour and simplicity to make, not to mention it’s part of a healthy meal. !
Our new fave !!
Hi Kevin, it is wonderful to hear from you! I’m glad you like this salad. You’re so right; this is a very healthy salad and Summer is simply the perfect time to make it! Have a glorious weekend and keep in touch dear friend 🙂
Delicious with so many Persian dishes. I skip the cilantro because I hate it though, haha –
My favorite too! Sorry about the cilantro. I’m sure you probably know that some people are hypersensitive to a certain chemical in cilantro and this herb, that I love, tastes like soap to them 🙁 No worries though, if you like parsley, just use that. Have a lovely week!
When they came out with the research about genetics and cilantro, several friends emailed me the article saying, “This must be what is wrong with you!” Ina Garten feels the same way, so at least I have some good company, haha –
Yes you do; I love Ina! Thank goodness for all the other amazing herbs that we have. You can use just about any herb that you love in this salad 😉
Thank you, Homa jan. I tried your awesome recipe and as a result my wife and children love me a lot more.
Said aziz, great to hear from you! I really appreciate that you feel it is my salad that has made your family to love you more. But I have a feeling that they have always loved you and your kind efforts to prepare meals for them 😉 Take care dear friend and please keep in touch!
I sometimes add a teaspoon of pomegranate sirup! That’s how I ate it somewhere in Teheran. I loved it.
Dear Julia, thanks for sharing that. I love pomegranate syrup on everything and I can just imagine how it will taste on this salad!! Please take care and keep in touch 🙂
Hi Homa,
This salad is absolutely delicious! It is now my new favorite salad. I made this for the first time 2 years ago and since then have made it a staple in my weekly dinners! It’s so refreshing and unbelievably delicious how the flavors meld together. I especially love the dressing and how everything is cut small so that you can have a little of each ingredient in every bite! The colors and presentation is so pretty. So wonderful!! I also love how well the leftovers can last as there’s no lettuce to get soggy.
Thank you dear Amanda 🙂 Glad you like this salad, as it is the most beloved salad in most Iranian households. Because it is so light, it pairs perfectly with most Persian entrees. You’re so right, it does keep way better than the lettuce based salads. Please stay well and keep in touch!