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This Turkish Tomato Cucumber Salad has a short ingredient list, but always has a long list of rave reviews. It's fresh, healthy and delicious!
I love recipes that have a history and this Turkish Tomato Cucumber Salad has an interesting story. Known in Turkey as Shepherd's Salad, or çoban salatası (Cho-BAHN' sah-lah- tah-SU'), it's one of the country's most frequent served salads. Because of its popularity and the fact that it's easy and inexpensive to make, it's also called "the salad of the people".
The name Shepherd's Salad came about many years ago in Turkey. According to legend, this salad, along with a loaf of bread was the standard fare for Turkish shepherds. Sometimes there might be cheese or olives in their lunch sacks as well, but almost always this easy, chopped salad.
The story is told that each little Turkish village had a shepherd who would tend the flocks. The villagers would pay the shepherd with the produce they grew, tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers being some of their best crops. And the shepherds, in turn, made this wonderful (what I call) Turkish Tomato Cucumber Salad to satisfy their hunger while tending the sheep.
Although I'm not Turkish and definitely not a shepherd, I love this Turkish Tomato Cucumber Salad for so many reasons. It's fresh, delicious and pairs well with so many entreés. It's also really easy to put together, can be made in advance and has a short ingredient list. And it's amazing to me how that short ingredient list combines together to create the most delicious salad - the total, in this case, is definitely more than the sum of parts!
To make this Turkish Tomato Cucumber Salad super quick and easy, I use my Vidalia Chop Wizard to chop everything except the tomatoes. I remove the seeds and watery pulp from the tomatoes then dice the outer flesh into bite-size pieces. This keeps the salad from getting too watery.
Although the recipe and ingredients for this salad are super simple, there are some important steps to follow according to the recipe I found on a Turkish website called Seasonal Cook in Turkey. This is what she instructs after combining the chopped veggies:
The first thing of all to do with the salad once all ingredients are placed in the bowl is to sprinkle some salt over it. This makes the flavors come out and the tomatoes and cucumbers will start emitting their juices which will then mix in with the dressing, giving it a wonderful flavor. Then you should start pouring over some extra virgin olive oil. A generous drizzle of EVOO is good for the salad. Lastly, the lemon juice is poured on. It is important that the juice goes on last as the acid put directly on the salad without the oil firstly covering it, makes the salad wilt faster.
For salad dressings, the ingredients are usually just combined together and drizzled over the salad. But this makes so much sense... and it works! I adapted the rest of the recipe to our taste but followed her directions and order for the ingredients carefully. The results are wonderful: the oil seems to coat the veggies nicely, the lemon flavor is not too strong and the salad keeps well.
This Turkish Tomato Cucumber Salad is delicious with just about any entreé, but one of my favorite ways to serve it is with my Grilled Chicken Shawarma (recipe coming!) and a stack of warm Greek Yogurt Turkisk Flatbreads. Summer doesn't get much better than that!
Café Tips for making this Turkish Tomato Cucumber Salad
- Since the ingredient list is simple, use quality ingredients to allow the flavors to shine. Summer tomatoes that are bursting with flavor are best, but I've also made this salad with good quality store-bought tomatoes.
- For a pretty presentation, try to chop the veggies all about the same size. I use my Vidalia Chop Wizard for this, but you could also dice them by hand.
- To prepare ahead, chop the cucumbers, onions, and peppers and refrigerate. Wait till right before serving to dice the tomatoes and combine them with the other ingredients. Dress just before serving.
- Add a handful of crumbled or diced Feta and/or some Kalamata olives for another delicious variation of this salad.
- In addition to serving alongside entreés, this Turkish Tomato Cucumber Salad is delicious in wraps. Try spreading a naan or flatbread down the center with hummus. Top it with grilled chicken, cilantro, and a scoop of this Turkish Tomato Cucumber Salad. Fold it together and enjoy!
- Although the dressing is more watery than most, it's delicious. Serve lots of bread with this salad to soak up the yummy dressing. (I'm certain that the shepherds knew this secret!)
For more seasonal recipe inspiration, check out our May posts from the past few years...
1 year ago - Granny Annies Oatmeal Toffee Cookies with Raisins and Seasalt.
2 years ago - Double Almond Paleo Granola
3 years ago - Lemon Garlic Roasted Chicken and Potatoes
4 years ago - Blueberry Arugula Salad with Honey Lemon Dressing
This Turkish Tomato Cucumber Salad has a short ingredient list but always gets a long list of rave reviews. It's fresh, healthy and delicious!
- 6 Roma tomatoes seeded and diced
- 5-6 medium Persian cucumbers or 1 large English cucumber diced chopped into ½-inch dice
- 1 medium white onion chopped into ½-inch dice
- 1 yellow or orange bell pepper chopped into ½-inch dice
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ cup finely chopped flat-leafed parsley
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Cut tomatoes in half through the stem end. Cut each half in half. Starting at the opposite end of the stem, cut the seeds and inner pulp out of each tomato quarter and discard or save for another use. Chop tomatoes into ½-inch dice.
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Combine chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, onions and peppers in a medium bowl. Sprinkle kosher salt over the top and stir.
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Drizzle the olive oil over the veggies and stir gently but well to coat everything with the oil.
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Drizzle the lemon juice over the top and sprinkle with the pepper and the parsley. Again, stir gently but thoroughly to combine. Taste and season, if needed with more salt and pepper and/or lemon juice. Allow to sit for 15-20 minutes before serving to allow flavors to meld.
See Café Tips for more detailed instructions and tips.
Recipe adapted from Seasonal Cook in Turkey
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Su says
Hi! I made this with zucchini instead of cucumbers as I didn't have any. I just used the outer part and spread out on paper towels to dry a little. I use zucchini in alot of recipes because to me the taste is close and zucchini doesn't make me belch! Thank you for the great recipes!
Chris Scheuer says
That's great, Su! Thanks for letting u sknow.
Suzi says
Made this beautiful salad to accompany your Chicken Shwarma recipe. It was easy, fresh and delicious! I used basil from my garden in place of the parsley and it was good. I put the cucumbers and tomatoes each on a separate plate lined with paper towels after I chopped them to soak up as much moisture as possible before putting the salad together. We will definitely make and enjoy this again!
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks so much, Suzi, for taking the time to leave a review. We're so happy you enjoyed this salad as much as we have. I love you adaptations!
Susan Blau says
Chris-I tried this recipe last night and we loved it!! I did not have lemons, so I used red wine vinegar and it tasted great!! Such a healthy side dish!! I will be making this a lot ...just told Jaclyn about it and she wants me to bring some over for her lunch!!
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks, Sue! I'm so happy you enjoyed it. Hope Jaclyn did too!
Laura says
I am hosting a meditation nosh at my house on Friday and I am making this salad and your grilled chicken shawarma. Can’t wait!
Chris Scheuer says
Sounds like a wonderful meal! Enjoy!
Robotance says
The salad is going to be very useful as I am watching my diet. To be honest, I never thought losing weight will be easy but with this yummy salad, I believe the journey to the flat stomach will become a little easy. Thank you for such a wonderful and delicious recipe, Chris! I will make sure to recommend among friends too.
Chris Scheuer says
Enjoy!
Karen Calanchini says
This salad is a staple at our home. We had it twice this week. I love the color and freshness. The tomato growers have come a long way with winter tomatoes. We enjoyed the Kumato tomato, along with those clam shells of multi colored cherry type tomatoes all winter long. I love the suggestion from one of your posters for the addition of sumac. Must try that.
vivian says
Lovely salad that will go with so many dishes and that I will make again, for sure. The only change I made was to sprinkle about a teaspoon of sumac into the mix because the spicy lemony flavour of sumac is one of my favourites. Thanks for a great recipe!
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks so much, Vivian for taking the time to leave a review. Yes, sumac is a wonderful addition. The only reason I left it out is that it's not a spice that's readily available to so many of our readers.
Donna B Oliphint says
You've posted a couple of Turkish recipes, and I wondered what peaked your interest--planning a trip? I watch a lot of Turkish dramas on Netflix, and they always have fresh tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers on a plate to go with their breakfast! Thanks for this recipe. It looks delicious.
Chris Scheuer says
Haha, no trip to Turkey at this point although Scott and I did go there a while back on a mission trip. It's an amazing country and the food is fabulous. And the tomatoes are wonderful and grow everywhere!
I just got interested in shawarma which led me to flatbread, which led me to Turkish salad. These are the just kind of wild epicurean trips I go on 🙂
Neha says
How fresh and vibrant this salad looks! I am already starting to get ideas. For there are about a thousands of ways I can use it! Thanks for such a versatile recipe.
Susan says
I'll be pinning this for when my cucumber plants start producing later this summer! What a beautiful array of colors in this healthy and delicious salad, Chris!
Karen (Back Road Journal) says
A perfect side to serve at an outdoor barbecue.
Abbe@This is How I Cook says
This is very similar to an Israeli salad but I don't care what it's named...I just call it good!
Vicki Bensinger says
This looks great Chris. I may have to break down and get that contraption for cutting veggies. I do like doing it myself but without a doubt having them the exact same size makes a dish look that much better. Very pretty!
monique says
All your salads are soo delish and appetizing!
Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers says
Such a great salad and so pretty! Simply perfect 🙂
2pots2cook says
It is ideal for my office lunch ! Thank you !
Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen says
I love summer salads like this Chris! Can't wait to grab all the ingredients from the fabulous outdoor stands at the beach! Delicious!
Liz says
If this salad is for the people, I'm definitely one of the people! So cool and refreshing!
sue@theviewfromgreatisland says
I love this Chris, it's so pretty, and I would have all my salads chopped like this if I could. Pinning and sharing!
Laura | Tutti Dolci says
There's nothing more refreshing on a warm summer day than this salad! Love the vibrant colors and flavors!
Sandra L Garth says
My husband would eat this every day and twice on Sunday!
Chris Scheuer says
Haha! Me too Sandra!
Helen says
This salad has been a lifelong favorite in my family with the recipe learned from our Armenian neighbors in the 1950's. We added tender young zucchini to soak up the delicious juices, goat cheese since we made our own and used flour tortillas to replace the flat breads. The salad was always in our fridge and eaten for snacks and meals.
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks for sharing this Helen, I love that you grew up on this wonderful salad.
Ginny Hartzler says
There are so many ways you can use this, and it is beautiful! I love your story about the shepherds. And it would keep well out in the fields, too.
Chris Scheuer says
Yes, it's very versatile Ginny!
angiesrecipes says
Easy, fresh and so good too! We love this salad and have it on a regular base.