Turkish Spoon Salad
Turkish Spoon Salad (Kaşık Salatası) is a fresh, vibrant salad of finely diced vegetables in a tangy pomegranate dressing. The perfect side for kebabs, mezze and Mediterranean meals.
Servings: 8 as a Mezze
Calories: 65kcal
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.
Nutrition
Calories: 65kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 10mg | Potassium: 275mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 729IU | Vitamin C: 35mg | Calcium: 19mg | Iron: 0.4mg