Turkish Spoon Salad
By Lee Jackson ↣ Published on: August 4, 2026
This wonderful Turkish spoon salad is a staple on my table all year round. It’s a fresh, crunchy and versatile dish that pairs with everything in the Mediterranean style of food I love so much. Be sure to make it part of your next feast too.
In Turkey, whatever you're ordering, you'll invariably find yourself eating this amazing salad. A finely chopped salad, kind of like a Mexican pico de gallo, it features expertly diced tomato, onion, peppers and cucumber in a sweet and sour dressing. It's impossibly refreshing and a fantastic side to have at hand all year round.
I first experienced this super-salad in Adana, Turkey after a hellish bus trip, I ate it with a smoky Lamb & Pistachio Köfte Kebab - it expertly cut through any richness and brought a light, crunchy burst of health. It won me over all those years ago and I've been preparing it myself at home ever since. It's super easy, you just need to practice your knife skills a little to ensure you get the dice fine enough. You'll get the hang of it!
If you're familiar with Turkish food, the spoon salad is similar to a Shepherd's Salad, but the cut of the vegetables in the spoon salad is much smaller, so that you can eat it with a spoon. It also includes pomegranate molasses in the dressing which gives the unique sour note. (Fun fact: I'm mildly allergic to pomegranate and it causes a mild numbing to my tongue when I eat it! It absolutely doesn't stop me eating this salad - I'll suffer for flavour!).
Spoon salad is part of my curated Mediterranean collection as well as my Mezze & Small Plates hub, where you'll find so many delicious recipes just like this one.
What's Ahead?
What is Kaşık Salatası?
Spoon Salad, or Kaşık Salatası, is one of Turkey’s freshest and most vibrant salads. Similar to the classic Turkish Shepherd’s Salad, every ingredient is chopped so finely that it’s traditionally eaten with a spoon rather than a fork, giving each mouthful the perfect balance of juicy vegetables, herbs and tangy dressing.
Popular throughout Turkey, it’s especially common alongside the famous kebabs of Gaziantep, Adana and Urfa, where its crisp vegetables and sweet-sharp dressing are the perfect contrast to rich grilled meats. Simple, fresh and bursting with flavour, it’s one of my favourite Turkish side dishes.
Why You'll Love it
- It's an authentic Turkish salad - for those searching for legit, flavours of Turkey, this is your salad. It brings that unique flavour to everything it touches.
- It's impressive - All you need are some mid-level knife skills. I find it so satisfying cutting vegetables into fine dice (Brunoise, as the French say). Practice makes perfect, and it's well worth it for this salad.
- It's quick and easy - no cooking required, just assembly.
- It's vegetarian and vegan - perfect alongside other veggie dishes
- It pairs with everything - I haven't found a dish this salad doesn't work well with. Grilled meats, stews, salads, pilafs - it's super versatile.
Ingredients You'll Need
There's not a lot to this salad, only a couple of particulars you'll need to source for the authentic spoon salad flavour.
- Tomatoes, cucumber, red onion and long green pepper (Sivri Biber) - you can use a regular green bell pepper/capsicum too.
- Parsley - flat leaf, finely chopped for a herbaceous note.
- Aleppo Pepper - or Pul Biber as it's known in Turkey is a semi-coarse flaked pepper. It's mild in flavour with only the lightest tinge of chilli heat.
- Pomegranate Molasses - a delicious citrus sourness which is essential!
- Sumac - not essential, but it brings more unique Turkish sour flavour to the dressing.
- Lemon - To enhance the sourness of the dressing the fresh zing of lemon works spectacularly.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil - to emulsify the dressing while bringing its own tangy fruitiness to the mix.
Step by Step
Making this salad is simple - even if your knife skills aren't the best, just do your best and you'll still have a delicious salad to eat.
- Step 1 - Remove the seeds/pulp from the cucumber and tomatoes and cut into fine dice. Remove the seeds from the pepper and cut into similar size dice. Do the same with the onion. Mix into a bowl with the parsley.
- Step 2 - Whisk together the oil, pomegranate molasses, lemon juice, sumac and Aleppo pepper.
- Step 3 - Pour the dressing over the salad and season with a little salt. Mix well and serve.
Pro Tips - Things I've learned
- Chop Chop - Good dicing comes with practice, and by using the right knife - It may seem counter-intuitive, but a larger chef's knife will make it easier to chop small dice than a smaller knife. Better still, invest in a Japanese vegetable knife and it's amazing how you can level up your veggie chopping!
- Make in advance - You can make and dress this salad 5-6 hours before you need it, then cover and refrigerate. A little water may collect in the bottom, just drain it away. Either serve straight from the fridge or let it come to room temperature for 1 hour.
- Make the dressing even sharper - it really counterbalances other flavours (especially meats) and creates a stand out flavour all of its own. Don't be timid! Lemon will bring more sharpness, pomegranate too, with a sweet tangy flavour too.
Serving & Storage Suggestions
- In the fridge, spoon salad will be ok for a day or so, but it's best eaten relatively close to the time you prepare it. Fresh is best. It's not suitable for freezing.
- Serve as a mezze plate or side dish alongside other meat, seafood or vegetable dishes. Pretty much any Mediterranean or Middle Eastern inspired recipes will work well, and even some Indian dishes, particularly rich North Indian curries.
Ready to get cooking?
A simple salad is always an essential to have at the ready for weekday dinners or weekend get togethers. This spoon salad is so versatile and makes for a great accompaniment to so many dishes. It's as at home alongside a quick grilled steak as it is a low and slow stew or as part of weekend BBQ feast. It's for that reason Turkish spoon salad is one of my go-to 'World of Flavour' dishes - all the recipes that have shaped the way I cook today. I just know you'll love it too. Enjoy!
More Turkish Mezze recipes
If you liked this recipe, you should learn more about my favourite Turkish mezze dishes.
FAQ
Have a question? Let me know in the comments.
What is the difference between Turkish Spoon Salad and Shepherd’s Salad?
Both salads use similar ingredients, including tomatoes, cucumber, onion, peppers and parsley. Turkish Spoon Salad is chopped much more finely, traditionally eaten with a spoon and commonly dressed with pomegranate molasses. Shepherd’s Salad is usually more roughly diced and dressed simply with lemon juice and olive oil.
Can I make Turkish Spoon Salad ahead of time?
Yes. You can prepare and dress the salad around 5–6 hours before serving, then cover and refrigerate it. The vegetables may release a little liquid as they sit, so drain away any excess before serving.
What can I use instead of Turkish sivri biber?
You can replace sivri biber with a mild long green pepper, Cubanelle pepper, Anaheim pepper or Italian frying pepper. A regular green bell pepper or capsicum will also work, although it has a thicker texture and slightly different flavour.
Can I make Spoon Salad without pomegranate molasses?
You can, but pomegranate molasses gives the salad its distinctive sweet-and-sour flavour. Replace it with extra lemon juice and a small splash of red wine vinegar, adding a pinch of sugar or honey if you want to recreate some of its sweetness.
What do you serve with Turkish Spoon Salad?
Turkish Spoon Salad is traditionally served with kebabs, grilled lamb, chicken, köfte and other rich meat dishes. It also works beautifully as part of a mezze spread, alongside pilaf, grilled fish, vegetable dishes, stews or warm flatbread.
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Ingredients
- 4 ripe tomatoes very finely diced
- 1 small cucumber seeds removed, very finely diced
- 2 long green or yellow peppers or 1 green capsicum and 1 mild green chilli, very finely diced
- 1 small red onion very finely diced
- ½ bunch flat-leaf parsley finely chopped
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp pomegranate molasses
- Juice of ½ lemon
- 1 tsp Aleppo pepper pul biber
- ½ tsp sumac optional
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Cut the tomato into quarters, then remove the seeds and pulp. Finely dice and add to a large bowl.
- Deseed the peppers and dice finely, adding to the bowl.
- Finely dice the onion and chop the parsley. Add these to the bowl too.
- Using a spoon, scoop out the seeds of the cucumber (to avoid the salad being watery) then, dice finely, adding to the other vegetables, then stir everything together.
- To make the dressing, in a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, pomegranate molasses, lemon juice, pul biber, sumac (if using) and a generous pinch of salt.
- Pour the dressing over the vegetables and toss well until everything is evenly coated.
- Serve immediately, or let the salad stand for 10–15 minutes to allow the flavours to develop before serving.You can refrigerate for 4-5 hours before serving too, but anything longer runs the risk of the flavour and texture being lost.
Notes
- Take your time with the chopping. The finer and more even your dice, the better the salad will taste. Every spoonful should contain a little of every ingredient.
- Remove the watery centres. Scoop the seeds and pulp from the tomatoes and cucumber before dicing to keep the salad crisp rather than watery.
- Taste the dressing before serving. Turkish Spoon Salad should have a bold sweet-sharp flavour. Don’t be afraid to add a little more lemon juice or pomegranate molasses if it needs extra zing.
- Use the freshest parsley you can find. It brings a bright, herbaceous flavour that’s just as important as the vegetables.
- Let it rest for 10–15 minutes. A short rest allows the dressing to soak into the vegetables while keeping everything wonderfully fresh and crunchy.
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