Shanklish Salad (Lebanese Breakfast Salad)
By Lee Jackson ↣ Published on: November 1, 2024
Waking up to Lebanese Shanklish salad is one of life’s great treats. Salty cheese, tomato & onion are a combination made in heaven – a sharp, fresh and healthy start to the day.
Shanklish Salad is the perfect start to any day! This simple Lebanese cheese salad is, on paper pretty run of the mill, there's not a lot to it after all, but it's simply spectacular! A fresh, healthy combination of tomato, onion and a wonderful salty, sharp Middle Eastern cheese called Shangleesh/Shankleesh - copious amounts of extra-virgin olive oil is drizzled over to create something unique and truly delicious.
When paired with fresh out of the oven flatbreads this shanklish breakfast salad is truly addictive - the bread acts as the most ingenious shovel, to scoop every last drop of food.
It's traditionally a breakfast salad in Lebanon - I'd often make an early morning drive to my favourite Lebanese restaurant in Sydney, Al Aseel for breakfast and eat alongside their amazing Hot Foul Medames (Fava Bean salad), Delicious scrambled eggs and marinated olives. I'd then drive home and go back to bed!
What's Ahead?
Why it works?
It's unique! I was dubious all those years ago when I first tasted shanklish for breakfast but I've been prepearing it for 20+ years now - whenever I see a ball of fresh shanklish in the Middle Eastern deli I'll snap it up excitedly. I urge you to do the same.
What is Shanklish?
The star of the show is shanklish (this is the name I'm sticking with - it has SO MANY!), an aged Lebanese cow's cheese. The cheese is rolled into balls and covered in thyme then left to create cheese science magic.
The resulting taste varies on how long its been ageing - in Sydney the shanklish I bought was salty but quite mild compared to the versions I've found here in the US. The shanklish here is more intense in flavour. Beautifully herbaceous, salty and rich.
It's not too dissimilar to a feta, but less salty with more depth of flavour. It sometimes has chilli infused also which just adds more flavour sensation.
Stuff You'll Need
Introductory sentence + ingredients
- Shanklish cheese - it can be a little trick to find this, but persist with your search in Middle Eastern deli's or online. It comes fresh and preserved in oil in jars and can differ in intensity. I sometimes as a spicy option too. All are ok, just taste test first and adjust the amount you use if it's particularly intense or spicy. The best variety should taste like a tangy, herbacous feta cheese, which you could also use as a substitute.
- Onion - finely diced
- Tomatoes - I like a soft, ripe tomato or also sometimes a slightly under ripe crunchy tomato for a different texture.
- Extra virgin olive oil - it's time to bring out the good stuff for this recipe. Get the best quality you can.
- Mint and Parsley - brings a nice grassy herbaceous flavour to the salad.
- Lemon - a little zingy sharpness elevates the flavour into even fresher territory.
There's not cooking to be done, it's simply a case of arranging everything on a platter and serving with lots of flatbreads, crusty bread or pita breads. Too easy!!
Storage Suggestions
Shanklish will stay fresh (covered in plastic wrap) for 3-4 days in the fridge. It's not suitable for freezing.
Ready to get started?
This salad truly is the simplest thing to pull together in the morning and is such a nice way to start the day. It's light, healthy and fresh and so easy, which for me is essential when I'm tired and hangry. Make it the night before for an even more seamless and gentle start to the day.
Hope you enjoy the recipe.
More Lebanese & Middle Eastern recipes
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- Zhoug (Spicy Cilantro Sauce)
- Cheese Börek with Spinach
- Cacik (Turkish Yoghurt & Cucumber)
- Haydari (Turkish Yoghurt Meze)
- Turkish Bean Salad (Fasulye Piyaz)
- Hawaij Spice (Spice mix from Yemen)
- Freekeh Pilaf with Chickpeas
- Roasted Carrots with Tahini Sauce
- Chicken Pilaf
- Hummus Bi Arnabeet – Hummus with Roasted Cauliflower
- Lamb & Eggplant Fatteh
Any Questions? (FAQ)
Have a question about this recipe? Let me know in the comments.
A Middle Eastern semi soft, aged sheep or cow's cheese, rolled in herbs - typically thyme or Za'atar. Available fresh or preserved in oil. Sometimes available with chilli for a spicy version.
You can use it in salads, sprinkled over breads, vegetable meats and fish. It's traditionally popular at breakfast time and mashed with eggs, and served with cucumber, tomatoes. Also in THIS breakfast salad!
Shanklish goes under lots of other names so try searching one of the following instead: Shankleesh, Shanklish, Chancliche, Shinklish, Sorke or Sürke.
Failing that, It's probably closest in texture and flavour to a good quality Bulgarian or Greek feta cheese.
Where can I buy Shanklish?
Your best and cheapest option is to buy it from a Middle Eastern food store. You'll find it either in the refrigerator or on the shelf, in oil in a jar. Failing that, you can buy it online.
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Ingredients
- 9 oz Shanklish cheese (250g)
- ½ medium onion diced
- 3 medium tomatoes diced
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 sprig parsley finely chopped
- 1 sprig mint finely chopped
- black pepper
- 1/2 lemon juice of
Instructions
- On a large plate arrange the tomatoes in one layer.
- Add a layer of crumbled Shanklish, a layer of onion, then the mint and parsley.
- Drizzle over all the olive oil and squeeze 1/2 lemon over.
- Finally, give a light grinding of black pepper. You won't need any salt, the Shanklish has all the salt the dish needs.
- Serve with flatbreads on the side to scoop up the salad.
This is a delicious recipe. I found Shanklish at my local Mid East deli and then found this recipe. What a great and fresh way to enjoy breakfast. Thanks.
Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed. I always snatch up a Shanklish if I see it in store!