Coban Salatasi (Shepherd's Salad)
Turkey's everyday chopped salad — ripe tomatoes, crunchy cucumber, onion and parsley in a bright lemon and olive oil dressing.
Ask Bio about this recipe
Ingredients
4 ripe medium tomatoes (about 500g), diced small
1 long cucumber, peeled in stripes and diced
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 sivri (long green) peppers, finely sliced
A large bunch of flat-leaf parsley, leaves chopped
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon (about 3 tbsp)
1 tsp pomegranate molasses (optional but recommended)
1/2 tsp sumac
3/4 tsp sea salt, or to taste
Instructions
- 1
Put the chopped onion in a large bowl, sprinkle with a good pinch of the salt and rub briefly with your fingers to mellow its sharpness.
- 2
Halve the tomatoes, scoop out the wateriest seeds if they are very juicy, and dice the flesh into 1cm pieces.
- 3
Dice the cucumber to the same size, slice the green peppers thinly and add everything to the bowl with the onion.
- 4
Add the chopped parsley — be generous, it is a main ingredient here rather than a garnish.
- 5
Whisk the olive oil, lemon juice, pomegranate molasses and remaining salt, pour over the salad and toss gently.
- 6
Taste and balance: more lemon for brightness, more salt if the tomatoes are very sweet.
- 7
Sprinkle with sumac and serve straight away, with bread on hand for the juices at the bottom of the bowl.
Coban salatasi, the shepherd's salad, is on the table at practically every Turkish meal, from a quick weeknight dinner to a long summer barbecue. There is no lettuce and no fuss — just tomato, cucumber, onion, green pepper and plenty of parsley, all chopped small enough to catch a bit of everything on one fork.
Because the ingredient list is so short, quality does the heavy lifting. Use the ripest tomatoes you can find, and salt the onion for a few minutes first to soften its bite. The dressing is nothing more than good extra virgin olive oil, fresh lemon juice and salt; a teaspoon of pomegranate molasses is a much-loved southern Turkish touch that adds a sweet-sour depth, and a pinch of sumac never goes amiss.
Chop and dress the salad just before eating so the vegetables stay crisp — after an hour it turns watery, though the juices left in the bowl are famously good mopped up with bread. Serve it alongside grilled meats, rice dishes or a simple spread of white cheese and olives from Turkish Online Market for an instant Turkish lunch.
More recipes
Meze & SaladsHomemade Turkish Pickles (Tursu)
Crunchy, garlicky Turkish tursu made the traditional way with grape vinegar, coarse brine salt and a handful of dried chickpeas. Ready to eat in three to four weeks.
Meze & SaladsKabak Mucveri (Turkish Courgette Fritters)
Crisp-edged courgette fritters packed with dill, spring onion and salty white cheese. The secret is squeezing the courgette bone dry before it hits the batter.
Meze & SaladsBarbunya Pilaki (Borlotti Beans in Olive Oil)
Creamy borlotti beans slowly simmered with carrot, potato and tomato in good olive oil, then served cool with lemon. A classic Turkish meze that tastes even better the next day.
Meze & SaladsGavurdagi Salad (Chopped Salad with Walnuts)
Gaziantep's famous knife-chopped salad: tomatoes, peppers, onion and parsley cut into tiny dice, tossed with crunchy walnuts, sumac and tangy pomegranate molasses. The essential partner to any kebab.
