After a recent trip to Israel, I came home craving the simple vibrant salads served with almost every meal. They were bright and fresh and such a great accompaniment to pretty much every main dish! The most common was this simple tomato and cucumber salad. It was crisp, juicy, refreshing, and so bright with lemon and herbs. This version is inspired by those flavors and it goes with literally anything-from grilled meats to weeknight dinners. And as a fun bonus- it’s red and green colors make it the perfect fresh, healthy side to balance out all of the holiday food during Christmas time!
Ingredients Needed
This is just a preview of ingredients and method, keep scrolling for full printable recipe.
- English or Persian Cucumber – Standard English cucumbers are easy to find in stores. they are the long skinny varieties, often wrapped in plastic. They have thin skin and very small seeds. They also aren’t nearly as watery as the standard American garden cucumber. Persian cucumbers are similar to English, but much smaller.
- Tomato – it doesn’t really matter what kind, but do take the time to remove the seeds and pulp.
- Onion – red, white, or yellow.
- Fresh Parsley – I wouldn’t substitute dry here. But feel free to switch up the fresh herbs if you like. Dill is also delicious.
- Lemon
- Olive Oil
- Salt and Pepper
How to Make
- One thing that’s important in this recipe is finely chopping everything into a small, uniform dice. I like about 1/4″. To avoid the salad becoming watery, you’ll also want to press the pulp out of your tomatoes and discard.
- Once everything is chopped, simply mix together and season.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can prep it ahead, but don’t mix everything together until right before serving. Chop the tomatoes and cucumbers, store them separately, and keep the dressing in a jar. Mix it all at the last minute so the veggies stay crisp and the salad doesn’t get watery.
Fresh herbs are key. Parsley, dill, an mint are the most traditional, and each gives the salad a slightly different personality. You can use just one or mix a couple. Use what you love or what you have!
This salad is best the day it’s made, but leftovers will keep for about 24 hours in the fridge. Expect a little extra liquid at the bottom of the bowl – just give it a quick stir before serving.
Tomato Cucumber Salad with Lemon & Herbs
Ingredients
- 2 cups finely chopped English or Persian Cucumber about 1 large or 2 medium
- 2 cups finely chopped tomatoes about 5-6, seeds and pulp removed
- ¼ cup finely minced red onion
- ¼ cup minced fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt more to taste
- black pepper, optional to taste
Instructions
- Chop your vegetables uniformly in about a 1/4" dice. Place in a bowl.
- Add parsley, olive oil, lemon juice and salt and stir to combine.
- Add more salt to taste and feel free to adjust flavors to your liking (extra lemon or herbs etc.)
