This is the standard salad-relish you find in every tavern and restaurant in Istanbul. It accompanies grilled meat and especially kebabs. Turkish food is often eaten with a spoon, and so is this salad—all its ingredients are finely chopped. Instead of a simple lemon vinaigrette, which is the most common dressing, I like to add a little balsamic vinegar and lemon zest. Add as much jalapeño as you like, but bear in mind that this Turkish salsa is meant to be refreshing and not overpoweringly hot.
Ingredients
4 to 6 servings
Salad:
Dressing:
Salad:
Step 1
Cut the tomatoes in half crosswise and squeeze lightly to remove the seeds. With a serrated knife, dice the tomatoes and transfer to a strainer to drain. In a salad bowl, mix together the cucumber, greens, scallions, herbs, jalapeños, and capers. Add the tomatoes.
Dressing:
Step 2
To make the dressing, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, lemon zest,and salt and pepper to taste. Pour over the salad and toss. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Refrigerate for 20 to 30 minutes to give the flavors time to meld. Sprinkle with sumac before serving if you like.
Nutrition Per Serving
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Reviews (10)
Back to TopI had this recipe lying around for years and finally made it. I had all the ingredients in my garden (including wild purslane, which is a weed) except the mint, but my neighbor had mint. This is a treat! So glad I saved the recipe.
043548
Richmond, CA
10/6/2019
Great salad, so easy, didn't have all the leaves as stated so used shredded kale, delish
Dogbreath
Quin, Ireland
2/6/2016
I keep coming back to this salad. It's fresh, tasty, and people are always surprised by it. It does require a lot of chopping, but it's worth it.
Zyanyakb
Seattle
7/3/2015
Ehhh...made it exactly as stated. Used fresh herbs from the garden; seemed bland and a bit dry. Added more dressing. Was OK.
Anonymous
Kalispell, MT
8/27/2011
What a wonderful recipe!! Made it exactly as written and would not change a thing. Have made this several times, most recently served it at a dinner party with grilled double thick lamb chops to rave reviews. Jalapenos were not too spicy at all. This is a keeper.
Anonymous
Head of the Harbor, NY
9/2/2010
Loved it. What a great summer tomatoe salad.
mydoggiesmama
Portland, OR
8/28/2010
I made this as written, but omitted the jalapenos because wasn't sure my guests would tolerate them. It was so good my DH asked me to make more today.
smulroy1
Long Island, NY
7/18/2010
I just ate the freshly made version (I have some extras for tomorrow)and it was amazing! The flavors were incredible and fresh--the jalapeno carries throughout the dish really well. I couldn't find mint, skipped the capers and added some roasted bell peppers and it had amazing flavor. Think I just found my summer salad recipe!
wjwinsor
Portland, Oregon
7/14/2010
Loved this salad. I used arugula, quartered grape tomatoes, one jalapeno and I even had sumac. Beautiful to look at too...I can't wait to make it again.
Suzmcil
Camp Hill, PA
6/8/2010
I made this salad at work and all my coworkers loved it. Even though I did not add any jalapenos the salad had an incredible flavor and aroma. I used a balsamic vinegar which was flvaored with fig and that added a sweetness to the salad as well.
maurodaphne
New Jersey
1/19/2010
