Fattoush salad
Fattoush is a vibrant Middle Eastern bread salad featuring a refreshing mix of crisp vegetables and aromatic fresh herbs. It's elevated by crunchy toasted pitta bread pieces and dressed with a zesty sumac and lemon vinaigrette. This light yet satisfying salad is perfect as a side dish or a wholesome light meal.
Equipment
- 1 Chef's knife
- 1 Cutting Board
- 1 Large Mixing Bowl
- 1 Small Bowl For dressing
- 1 Frying Pan or Baking Sheet For crisping pitta bread
Ingredients
Main
- 2 tomatoes chopped into chunks
- ¼ cucumber deseeded and sliced
- ½ red onion sliced
- 1 small head romaine lettuce shredded
- handful mint leaves roughly chopped
- handful parsley leaves roughly chopped
- 2 pitta breads
- 1 tsp sumac
- ½ garlic clove crushed
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- juice ½ lemon
Instructions
- Prepare the pitta bread: Tear the pitta breads into bite-sized pieces. In a frying pan with a little olive oil, or on a baking sheet, toast or fry the pitta until golden brown and crispy. Set aside to cool completely.
- Prepare the vegetables: Chop the tomatoes into rustic chunks. Deseed and thinly slice the cucumber. Thinly slice the red onion. Shred the romaine lettuce.
- Prepare the herbs: Roughly chop the fresh mint leaves and parsley leaves.
- Make the dressing: In a small bowl, combine the crushed garlic, red wine vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, and the juice of half a lemon. Add the sumac.
- Emulsify the dressing: Whisk the dressing ingredients vigorously until well combined and slightly emulsified. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Combine salad ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, combine the chopped tomatoes, sliced cucumber, thinly sliced red onion, shredded romaine lettuce, chopped mint, and parsley.
- Add crispy pitta: Just before serving, add the cooled, crispy pitta bread pieces to the large mixing bowl with the vegetables and herbs.
- Dress the salad: Pour the prepared dressing over the salad ingredients.
- Toss and serve: Gently toss all ingredients together to ensure they are evenly coated with the dressing. Serve immediately to maintain the pitta's crispness.
Notes
For truly authentic Fattoush, lightly fry the torn pitta pieces in a small amount of olive oil until golden and crisp; this adds a rich depth of flavor. Alternatively, baking offers a lighter, healthier crunch. Always deseed the cucumber to prevent the salad from becoming watery. Slice the red onion very thinly, and if you find its pungency too strong, a quick soak in cold water for 10 minutes can mellow it out. The sumac is crucial; it imparts the characteristic tangy, slightly citrusy flavor of Fattoush. Dress the salad just before serving to ensure the pitta bread remains delightfully crisp and doesn't get soggy.