7 September 2026
Shirazi Salad (Persian Tomato, Cucumber and Herb Salad).
Dave Moorkens— Stacked Farm Chef
Shirazi Salad (Persian Tomato, Cucumber and Herb Salad)
Serves 4 as a side · Ready in 20 minutes
Shirazi salad is the thing that sits in the middle of the table in Iranian homes and gets spooned onto everything else. Tomato, cucumber and onion cut very small, dressed simply, and eaten cold. It is not complicated and it is not meant to be.
What makes it worth doing properly is the dice. Everything goes in small and even, so you get all of it in one spoonful rather than chasing a wedge of tomato around the plate. This version leans on a generous amount of fresh parsley, coriander / cilantro and mint, which is what turns a simple chopped salad into something with real lift.
Ingredients
- 3 ripe tomatoes, about 400g
- 2 small Lebanese cucumbers
- Half a red onion
- 2 tbsp Stacked Farm Flat-Leaf Parsley, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp Stacked Farm Coriander or Cilantro, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp Stacked Farm Mint, finely chopped
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- Half a teaspoon of sumac, plus a little more to serve
- Salt and black pepper
Method
- Dice the tomatoes, cucumbers and red onion as small and as evenly as you can, around half a centimetre.
- Tip the tomato and cucumber into a sieve set over a bowl and leave them for ten minutes to drain, then discard the liquid.
- At the same time, put the diced onion in a bowl of cold water and leave it for ten minutes. Drain it and pat it dry.
- Finely chop the parsley, coriander / cilantro and mint.
- Combine the drained tomato, cucumber and onion in a bowl with the herbs, sumac, salt and pepper.
- Whisk the lemon juice and olive oil together, pour over the salad and toss well. Serve straight away with a little more sumac over the top.
Chef's tip: The whole dish lives or dies on how small you cut it. You want every spoonful to have tomato, cucumber, onion and herb in it at the same time, and you only get that if the pieces are about the same size and all of them are small. It takes ten minutes with a sharp knife and it is the only real work in the recipe, so do not rush it.
Dave Moorkens — Stacked Farm Chef
Why it works
Salt is doing most of the heavy lifting, between the halloumi and the olives, so the lemon and chilli are there to stop it getting one-note. The cold leaves underneath are the reset button. Every mouthful goes from warm and rich to cool and fresh, which is the whole reason a warm salad is worth the extra pan.
Make it yours
A drained tin of chickpeas turns this into a fuller dinner without changing its character. Torn mint works beautifully alongside the lemon if you want it fresher, and toasted almonds are a fine swap for walnuts if that's what's in the cupboard.
Nothing to wash, nothing to dry
Warm halloumi waits for nobody, so this is a salad you want to build fast. Our mixed leaf is grown indoors without pesticides and never washed, which means it comes out of the pack clean, dry and ready to go into the bowl. No rinsing, no spinning, no wet leaves watering down your dressing while the cheese cools on the bench.
Chef's tip: Dress it at the last possible moment. Salt and acid pull water out of tomato and cucumber, so a salad that was perfect when you made it will be sitting in a puddle twenty minutes later. Chop everything ahead if you like, keep it in the fridge, and put the lemon and oil through it as it goes to the table.
Dave Moorkens — Stacked Farm Chef
More greens on the grid.
Follow for recipes, farm tours and a very close look at some lettuce.
FAQs
Pat it dry, get the pan properly hot, and give it two to three minutes a side without moving it. Serve it straight away, because halloumi firms up as it cools.
Only a little, or none at all in a good non-stick pan. Halloumi releases its own fat as it heats, so too much oil in the pan will make it greasy rather than crisp.
Yes, cilantro and coriander are the same herb. Coriander is the common name in Australia and the UK, cilantro in the US.
You can, but it's squeaky and quite salty uncooked. Heat is what softens the inside and gives you the golden crust that makes this salad work.
Most halloumi sold is made with microbial rennet and is suitable for vegetarians, but not all of it, so it's worth a look at the label if it matters to you.
Prepare the salad and the dressing ahead and keep them separate. Cook the halloumi and dress the leaves right before you eat, or you'll lose both the crust and the crunch.
No. Stacked Farm greens and herbs are grown indoors without pesticides and never washed, so it's ready to eat straight from the pack.