This classic Jerusalem salad, also known as Israeli salad, is a popular Middle Eastern salad that can be enjoyed in so many ways! It mainly consists of finely chopped tomatoes, onion, cucumber and parsley, dressed with a simple olive oil and lemon juice dressing. Serve it as part of any main meal, a light meal on it's own or add it with falafel to pita bread. Delicious!
The beauty of this vibrant salad is it's simplicity, taking barely any time to make and using the simplest of ingredients. There is something pure about it. It's uncomplicated, yet elegant. It's a staple in our house and always a crowd-pleaser at any event.
This salad is also known as Persian salad, Salat Katzuz, Arabic salad or shirazi salad. It's a staple in Middle Eastern food and enjoyed in many households, cafes and restaurants. However, with it's global popularity there are now many different versions of this recipe.
Crossing the continents with this, but it's beautiful served with South African Bobotie!
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What's to love about this recipe
- This seemingly simple salad is an all-rounder and is the perfect side dish for most savoury meals
- Takes no longer than 10 minutes to make
- No complicated ingredients
- It's pure, healthy and low carb
- Looks very appetising on a table and smells divine!
- Loved by most people, even kids!
- Gluten free
- Vegan friendly
Key ingredient notes and substitutions
**Please see the recipe card at the bottom of the post for the complete list of ingredients.
**Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full list of ingredients.
Tomatoes - You can use any ripe tomatoes you like! We love using the sweeter, smaller varieties like cherry and Roma tomatoes. You can just chop them in half, so it's very little effort. If you are using large tomatoes, consider removing the seedy parts to avoid adding too much moisture to the salad.
Cucumber - The perfect cucumbers to use are Lebanese or Persian cucumbers. They are smaller and sweeter than the ordinary cucumbers. Sometimes they are just labelled as 'baby cucumbers'. If you can't find them, the more widely available English cucumbers work perfectly fine.
We recommend that, like with the tomatoes, you remove the seedy part of the cucumber. It adds unnecessary moisture to the salad, plus, the centre can often be a bit sour.
Red onion - You can also use white or brown onions. Shallots are great too and slightly less sharp.
Parsley - Tonnes of fresh parsley! This is an integral part of this salad, so please don't skip it or replace it entirely with other herbs.
The dressing ingredients - You can use virgin or extra virgin olive oil. The lemon juice should preferably be freshly squeezed. You can just tell when lemon juice comes from a bottle! We like to add a teaspoon of honey to the dressing. It makes such a difference to balance all the sharp tomato and onions flavours.
We use ¼ teaspoon of salt and a good few grinds of black pepper, but you can adjust both of these seasonings to taste.
How to make Jerusalem salad
- Wash and dry the tomatoes and cucumber.
- Chop the tomatoes into small chunks.
- Slice the cucumber lengthways into quarters and remove the centre part of the cucumber containing the seeds. Chop into small chunks of equal size to the tomatoes.
- Finely dice the onion.
- Mince the parsley. See how to mince parsley.
- In a small bowl, mix together the olive oil, lemon juice, honey, salt and black pepper.
- In a large salad bowl, toss together all the salad ingredients with the olive oil dressing. Check the seasoning and adjust according to taste.
Top tips
- Apparently, it's a status symbol amongst the Kibbutz cooks to chop the veg into the 'finest, most even dice'. This salad really is at it's best when everything is finely chopped into small pieces, especially if you are going to use it inside a pita or wrap, or as a relish.
- Use fresh ingredients. Because the salad is so simple, every ingredient in it will shine and should therefore be fresh and of good quality.
- Don't skimp on the parsley!
- Add the dressing right before serving to avoid the salad getting soggy.
Variations
- Add diced bell pepper.
- Add additional fresh herbs like mint.
- Swap the lemon juice for lime juice.
- Add Za'atar seasoning or sumac.
- Add radishes, olives or finely shredded lettuce (lettuce is not traditional though).
- To make it into a substantial meal, add a meat like grilled chicken, fish, beef or Tofu.
What to serve the salad with
- Grilled meats like chicken, lamb or beef.
- Grilled fish and seafood dishes.
- Rice dishes.
- Use in a wrap or a sandwich.
- Serve with Shawarma.
- Add to a pita along with falafels.
- Serve alongside hummus.
- Serve alongside couscous.
- Drizzle with lemon Tahini.
Storage
This salad is best enjoyed fresh on the same day it was made, but it will still keep until the next day if kept in an airtight container in the fridge.
FAQ
It's not entirely clear what exactly the origin of this salad is, but it's particularly popular in Israel and is a big part of Israeli cuisine, hence the reference. The term 'Israeli salad' is more commonly used outside of Israel.
This recipe serves four portions. One portion is 98 calories.
Israeli, or Jerusalem salad, mainly contains tomatoes, cucumbers, onion and parsley. Greek salad is made with Feta, olives and lettuce.
More easy side dishes
This salad will go well with...
Recipe
Jerusalem salad
Ingredients
- 250 millilitre diced tomatoes - 1 metric cup
- 250 millilitre diced cucumber - 1 metric cup
- 250 millilitre chopped parsley - 1 metric cup
- 125 millilitre chopped red onion - ½ metric cup
- 2 tablespoons olive oil - 30ml
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice - 15ml
- 1 teaspoon honey - 5ml
- ¼ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- few good grinds of black pepper
Instructions
- Wash and dry the tomatoes and cucumber. Chop the tomatoes into small chunks.
- Slice the cucumber lengthways into quarters and remove the centre part of the cucumber containing the seeds. Chop into small chunks of equal size to the tomatoes.
- Finely dice the onion.
- Mince the parsley.
- In a small bowl, mix together the olive oil, lemon juice, honey, salt and black pepper.
- In a large salad bowl, toss together all the salad ingredients with the salad dressing. Check the seasoning and adjust according to taste.
**Nutritional data disclaimer**
Please keep in mind that the nutritional information provided below is calculated by a third party and we cannot guarantee the accuracy. We try our best to give you the most accurate information, but we do not take responsibility for errors that may be present. Also, the nutritional value of the recipe may change depending on the exact brands and products used. We recommend that you consult with a qualified healthcare professional or registered dietitian for personalised advice on your dietary needs.
Nutrition
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