🥗 Salad Shirazi (Persian Cucumber–Tomato Salad) – Authentic Recipe
Shirazi salad (Salad Shirazi) is one of the most delicious, simple, and budget-friendly Iranian salads, traditionally associated with the beautiful city of Shiraz. The story of this salad goes back to a competition held by one of the governors of Shiraz to create a tasty and refreshing salad — and because this one was quick, simple, and incredibly flavorful, it soon became a staple on the tables of the people of that city.
To make an authentic Shirazi salad, you only need cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, verjuice (abghooreh), and a few basic seasonings. Some people add other ingredients, but the classic version relies on these essentials.
Below you’ll find the full recipe. Don’t forget — this salad is a permanent companion to many Persian dishes, especially Ghormeh Sabzi, and no Persian rice-and-stew meal feels complete without it.
Important Note:
The quality of the verjuice matters a lot. If it’s old, dull, or bitter, it will completely ruin the salad.
You may add finely chopped lettuce, but the authentic Shirazi salad does not contain lettuce.
🟥 Common Mistakes When Making Shirazi Salad
- Using soft or old cucumbers
They release too much water and make the salad mushy and bland. Shirazi salad needs fresh, crisp cucumbers. - Uneven chopping of cucumbers and tomatoes
Consistency is key. Uneven cutting ruins both the presentation and the texture. - Adding too much dried mint
Excess dried mint makes the salad bitter and overpowering. - Using low-quality or old verjuice
Old verjuice becomes bitter and unpleasant. The flavor of the salad depends heavily on good verjuice. - Adding too much verjuice
This causes the salad to become too watery and overly sour. - Using overly soft tomatoes
Soft tomatoes make the salad watery and unattractive. They must be firm to hold shape. - Adding too much onion or large onion chunks
Too much onion makes the salad harsh and spicy. Onions must be very finely diced. - Preparing the salad too far in advance
Shirazi salad releases water quickly. It’s best made right before serving. - Adding lots of lettuce
This turns it into a different salad. Authentic Shirazi salad does not use lettuce.
🥒 Ingredients (salad shirazi)
Cuisine: AppetizerDifficulty: Easy4
cookies10
minutes10
minutesIngredients
1 medium onion
4 medium cucumbers
2 medium tomatoes
as needed Dried mint
as needed parsley
to taste Black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
as needed Verjuice (abghooreh)
as needed Olive oil
Directions
- 🔪 Step 1 – Prepare the Cucumbers
Slice the cucumbers lengthwise and remove the soft inner parts. Dice the firm parts into small, even cubes.
Always use fresh, firm cucumbers — soft or watery cucumbers completely ruin the taste and texture of the salad. - 🍅 Step 2 – Prepare the Tomatoes
Choose tomatoes that are firm and fresh. After washing, cut them in half. If the inside is too soft, remove the soft parts and dice the firmer sections into small cubes.
Make sure the tomato pieces are the same size as the cucumber cubes for the traditional texture. - 🧅 Step 3 – Prepare the Onions
Peel and finely dice the onions.
The onions must not be soft or old. The finer the onions are chopped, the better they blend into the salad and the more pleasant the flavor and texture will be. - 🌿 Step 4 – Add Herbs and Seasoning
Add a small amount of dried mint and dried parsley.
Be careful — too much dried mint makes the salad bitter.
Season with Olive oil, salt and pepper according to your taste, then add verjuice (abghooreh) to finish the dressing.
You can use sour orange juice instead of verjuice, or even a combination of both.