Authentic Persian Shirazi Salad (Salad-e Shirazi)

The most iconic salad in Iran, this is my authentic Persian Shirazi salad (Salad-e Shirazi). It’s a simple, refreshing salad that is incredibly easy to make. Picture a fresh, crunchy mixture of cucumber, tomatoes, red onion and mint, traditionally dressed with sour, unripe grape juice (ab ghooreh)! Serve it alongside Persian lamb skewer kebabs, Persian charcoal chicken wings, or just about anything for the perfect salad or side dish!

What is Salad-e Shirazi?

You’ll notice that this authentic Persian Shirazi salad contains the word ‘Shiraz’. That’s because it originated in Shiraz, a city in the South of Iran! This is also the same city that was historically known for making Shiraz wine from its legendary grapes. With all those grapes, it makes sense that the most traditional dressing for this Shirazi salad is sour, unripe grape juice. In Farsi, this is called ab ghooreh, and it is lip-smackingly sour and delicious!

It’s made by pressing fresh, unripe, sour green grapes. We love sour flavours in Iran, which explains why I can’t resist eating our homegrown grapes while they’re still young and sour!

What Makes an Authentic Persian Shirazi Salad

Four things make this salad unique, for a truly authentic Persian Shirazi salad.

Cut the Ingredients Small

The first is that each ingredient needs to be diced very small (about 5mm, or 1/4 inch). Apart from being traditional, this creates maximum surface area for the ingredients to be coated in the delicious, sour dressing. It also makes sure that you get a few pieces of each ingredient in every bite!

Plus, it makes it easier to eat with a spoon! One of the most common places you’ll see a Shirazi salad is alongside Persian lamb skewers (kabob koobideh) with rice. Because of the shape of the lamb skewers, they’re easily eaten with a spoon (and of course, this helps scoop up all the rice!). So it makes sense to have a ‘spoonable’ salad for a delicious morsel (loghmeh) of meat, rice, and salad. Mmm 🤤

Ab Ghooreh Dressing

The second is the dressing. Traditionally in Iran, this Shirazi salad is dressed with sour, unripe grape juice (ab ghooreh). In the modern culinary world, this is just verjuice (from the French vert jus, or ‘green juice’). A much-adored culinary acidulant of the legendary Maggie Beer! If you can’t find verjuice, lemon or lime are great substitutes.

Although, the verjuice commerically available in places like Coles or Woolies is quite mild compared to the homemade, lip-smackingly sour versions you’d find in Iran! If you can get your hands on some authentic ab ghooreh from a specialist Middle Eastern grocer, you’ll see how intense the tartness is!

Scoop out Tomato Seeds and Liquid

Third, you need to scoop out the tomato seeds and liquid! My maman (mum) used to scoop them out into a little bowl whenever she would make salad-e shirazi when I was growing up. And she’d yell out for me to come and drink it all up! Sounds weird, but it’s like having a fresh, bright tomato drink. And we’re not shy with tomatoes in the Middle East. We’ll happily eat them by biting into them like apples, sprinkled with some salt! Delicious.

Shirazi Salad is ‘Juicy’ (Ab-e salad)

Lastly, an authentic Persian Shirazi salad is watery at the bottom. This is totally intentional and not a mistake! Because we dice the ingredients so small, the salt and acid from the dressing draws out their natural juices. This creates an intensely flavourful, delicious broth, or ab-e salad (literally, ‘salad water’). We do not waste this in Iran! We often use it to pour over our rice and charcoal lamb skewers (kabob koobideh) for extra flavour. Or, if you grew up in my household, you drink it straight since, in my maman’s (mum’s) words, “it’s full of vitamins!”

The Spanish have a similar concept with ab-e salad. The juice at the bottom of a Spanish tomato salad (sangre de tomate) is often mopped up with some crusty bread!

I know some people salt and then drain their cucumbers and tomatoes before adding it to their Shirazi salad. This is to reduce the amount of liquid that pools at the bottom. But honestly, the ab-e salad in this authentic Persian Shirazi salad is incredibly flavourful and refreshing. So I see no good reason to reduce, or waste it!

Ingredients in this Authentic Persian Shirazi Salad

For the Shirazi Salad

The core ingredients of an authentic Persian Shirazi salad are cucumbers, tomatoes, and red onion. Although, I like to add fresh mint as well. Often, you’ll see dried mint used instead. I prefer the freshness and texture from the fresh mint, but dried is also fine. Some people add parsely, coriander (cilantro) or dill, so feel free to experiment! Some also add green or red capsicum (peppers), so follow your heart!

For the Dressing

You’ll need extra virgin olive oil, freshly ground black pepper, and salt. Be heavy-handed with the salt! Shirazi salad is meant to be slightly on the saltier side. And for the acid, you’ll need sour, unripe grape juice (ab ghooreh). Also known as verjuice! The verjuice sold commerically can be rather mild and slightly sweet. So, if you like, you can boost the tartness by mixing with lemon or lime (or citric acid). Some also use white vinegar. You can, if you prefer, just substitute entirely with lemon or lime juice. The real ab ghooreh from Iran is lip-smackingly sour, but is hard to come by sadly!

How to Make Authentic Persian Shirazi Salad

For the dressing, whisk the dressing ingredients into a bowl. It won’t become a thick emulsion like a typical vinaigrette since we are using far less oil, and more acid!

Then, cut your tomatoes in half horizontally. This makes scooping out the seeds much easier! Scoop out the seeds and liquid with a spoon. Reserve for soups or stews, or drink them!

Next, finely chop your tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion and mint. You want everything to be a uniform size, roughly 5mm (1/4 inch) in size. Place all the ingredients into a bowl, pour over the dressing, and mix!

Allow to sit for 10-15 minutes for the flavours to mingle and for the prized ab-e salad to develop.

What to Serve this Authentic Persian Shirazi Salad With?

Because this salad is so versatile, it honestly goes with just about anything! It’s a refreshing, crunchy salad that works perfectly with any grilled or roasted meat or fish. Because of the acidity, it beautifully complements richer, fattier meals like this crispy Italian porchetta, or Lebanese lemon garlic chicken.

But for a traditional meal, serve this authentic Persian Shirazi salad alongside your next barbecue, with Persian lamb kebab kewers (kabob koobideh) and Persian-style chicken wings (joojeh kabob). A meal to bring the whole family together!

I truly hope you enjoy this recipe! If you tried it and loved it, I would be so grateful if you left a 5-star review and a comment to let me know how it went! xxx