green.recipes

Cucumber Tomato Salad with Sumac

A bright, juicy Turkish and Mediterranean style salad where sumac-rubbed onion and a dressing made with the tomato juices do the flavoring.

Jump to recipe
Shallow dish of tomato and cucumber salad with thin red onion, chopped herbs and a dusting of ground sumac, AI-generated imageAI-generated image
At a glance
  • 500 gripe tomatoes
  • 500 gcucumbers
  • 80 gred onion
  • 45 gextra virgin olive oil
  • 20 glemon juice
Serves 4

Cucumber and tomato salad, often chopped small and dressed simply, turns up on tables across Turkey, the Levant and the wider Mediterranean. It is eaten alongside grilled vegetables, flatbread, rice dishes, eggs and meze spreads, and it suits summer cooking when tomatoes are at their best. Close relatives include the Turkish çoban salatası and the Persian Shirazi salad, which is usually finished with lime juice or verjuice and dried mint.

Sumac is the signature here. The dried, ground berries have a tart, fruity, lemony flavor and a deep red color. In this version the sliced red onion is rubbed with sumac and a pinch of salt first, which softens its bite and tints it a lovely pink. Because sumac brings plenty of tang, the dressing needs only a modest splash of lemon juice.

The other trick is to salt the tomatoes and cucumbers briefly and drain them, then whisk a couple of spoonfuls of the savory juice into the dressing. This keeps the salad from turning watery on the plate while keeping the tomato flavor, and it needs only a modest amount of salt.

Cucumber Tomato Salad with Sumac

Formula & Method
Servings
4
Units
Where do you shop?

Ingredients

Salad

Dressing

View shopping list ->

Preparation

  1. Step 0110 min

    Put the sliced red onion in a large bowl with 2 g of the sumac and 0.5 g (a small pinch) of the salt. Rub them together with your fingertips for about 30 seconds until the onion looks slightly softened and turns deep pink. Leave it to stand for 10 minutes.

  2. Step 0210 min

    While the onion rests, place the tomato chunks and cucumber pieces in a colander set over a bowl. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 g salt, toss gently, and let them drain for 10 minutes. Expect a few tablespoons of pink juice to collect in the bowl.

  3. Step 032 min

    Make the dressing: spoon 2 tablespoons (about 30 g) of the collected juice into a small bowl or jar and discard the rest; if less has collected, use what there is. Add the lemon juice, olive oil, garlic if using, black pepper, chili flakes if using, and 2 g of the sumac. Whisk or shake until cloudy and combined.

  4. Step 04

    Add the drained tomatoes and cucumbers to the bowl with the onion. Add the parsley and mint.

  5. Step 051 min

    Pour the dressing over the salad and toss gently with a spoon or your hands until everything is evenly coated and the herbs are spread through. Do not mash the tomatoes.

  6. Step 06

    Taste and adjust with a squeeze of juice from the reserved lemon half or a tiny pinch of salt if the tomatoes were not very ripe. The salad should taste bright, tangy and well seasoned.

  7. Step 07

    Transfer to a shallow serving dish, spoon over any dressing left in the bowl, and finish by sprinkling the remaining 2 g sumac over the top. Serve within 30 minutes for the best crunch.

  8. Step 08

    Count the time from when you cut the vegetables, including preparation and serving: refrigerate any leftovers within 2 hours of cutting, or within 1 hour if the room is above 32 C (90 F).

Kitchen notes

  • Use the ripest tomatoes you can find and keep them at room temperature before cutting, as cold tomatoes taste muted.
  • For a finer, chopped style salad, cut the vegetables into 1 cm (1/3 inch) dice and increase the parsley slightly.
  • Make ahead, up to 3 hours: keep everything at or below 4 C (40 F) in three separate covered containers. Put the unsalted, cut tomatoes and cucumbers in one, the sumac-rubbed onion in another, and the dressing (lemon juice, oil, garlic, pepper, chili and sumac) in a jar. Chop the herbs and add them only at serving time.
  • To finish a make-ahead salad: salt the tomatoes and cucumbers with the 2 g salt and drain them in a colander for 10 minutes, then whisk 2 tablespoons (about 30 g) of the collected juice into the chilled dressing. Combine with the onion and herbs, dress and serve.
  • Storage: cut vegetables should spend no more than 2 hours in total at room temperature, counted from when you cut them and including preparation and serving time, or 1 hour if the room is above 32 C (90 F). Then refrigerate leftovers in a covered container at 4 C (40 F) or below and eat them within 1 day. The salad softens and releases more liquid as it stands, so drain it before serving and refresh it with a squeeze of lemon and a pinch of sumac.
  • Variations: add a spoonful of pomegranate molasses to the dressing, toss in a handful of olives, or serve with crumbled feta or a spoonful of thick yogurt on the side.
  • If sumac is unavailable, add the finely grated zest of half a lemon and a little extra lemon juice. The flavor will be different but still fresh.

Diet and allergens

Suitable for: Vegan, Vegetarian, Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Nut-free.

Contains: none of the allergens we track (sesame, tree nuts, peanuts, milk, egg, gluten, soy, celery, mustard, fish, crustaceans, molluscs, lupin).

Labels come from the ingredient list by fixed rules. If you cook for someone with an allergy, check the labels of packaged ingredients such as stock, spice blends, tahini and bread, since brands differ. How labels work.

Frequently asked questions

What does sumac taste like?

Sumac tastes tart and fruity, similar to lemon but softer and slightly earthy. It adds acidity and color without extra liquid.

Why salt the tomatoes and cucumbers first?

Salt draws out excess water, so the salad stays crisp and does not become diluted. A little of the drained juice goes into the dressing so the tomato flavor is kept.

Is this the same as Shirazi salad?

It is a close relative. Persian Shirazi salad uses finely diced cucumber, tomato and onion, usually dressed with lime juice or verjuice and dried mint, while this version leans on sumac, lemon and fresh herbs.

Can I leave out the onion?

Yes. The salad is still good without it, though the sumac-rubbed onion adds sharpness and color. Use spring onions (scallions) for a milder taste.

What should I serve it with?

It goes well with grilled vegetables, flatbread, rice or bulgur dishes, falafel, eggs and a meze spread.

References and sources

More to Cook