Arabic Salad – A Refreshing and Simple Cucumber Tomato Marinated Dish

This hydrating Arabic salad (also called Jerusalem salad, Palestinian salad, and Israeli salad, among other names) can be prepared in the morning or the night before you plan to eat it. Time will do the rest of your work for you!

Fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion, and parsley shine through the simple dressing of vinegar and olive oil.

Everyone loves the bounty of summer, which may explain the many names for similar salads all around the Mediterranean and beyond.

I initially started making this as a lazy version of a Greek salad when I didn’t have enough ingredients and didn’t want to go to the store just yet.

I like making this as soon as I get home from the grocery store so I never have to find a place for the loose vegetables in the fridge.

If you have a large dish and/or a large family, you can easily double the recipe and eat this delicious Arabic salad all week.

What is Arabic salad?

Arabic salad is made by marinating fresh vegetables and herbs. People around the Mediterranean traditionally eat it as a mezze, or appetizer.

Mezzes are small plates (like Spanish tapas) served either before the main course, or, if you have enough, as the main course.

For an evocative description of how one might serve mezzes and create an atmosphere of hospitality, you can check out this article.

Other popular mezzes include hommus, stuffed grape leaves (dawali), tzatziki or haydari (Turkish yogurt dip), and taboule. You can try my other recipes for a true feast!

How is a salad hydrating?

In terms of hydration, our bodies are able to absorb moisture better from foods because it takes time to digest what we eat.

In contrast, if we just drink lots of water, it goes through us too quickly for our bodies to absorb as much. This is why you may have heard the injunction to “Eat your water.”

Cucumber and tomato both contain over 90% water, so this salad is a great way to make sure you are getting enough hydration.

Why parsley?

Parsley is native to the Mediterranean and is used in many traditional dishes for both flavor and health, not to mention its vibrant color.

Parsley is high in antioxidants including flavonoids and vitamin C, which can reduce oxidative stress. This means parsley (and large doses of vitamin C from other sources) can lower your risk of chronic conditions, including cancer.

Another type of antioxidants in parsley are carotenoids, including beta carotene to help protect your eyes. It also contains vitamin K, which supports healthy bones, and the B vitamin folate, which can help protect your heart.

Another reason parsley is great for cooking is that it may help preserve your food for longer. Parsley extract has antibacterial properties.

Why did my olive oil solidify?

Olive oil at room temperature is a lovely golden colored viscous liquid.

However, when you leave it in the fridge for a few days, as you would with leftover Arabic salad, it can start to congeal from the cold. Around 50° Fahrenheit, olive oil starts to solidify.

At some temperature, all fats will solidify, and olive oil is no exception. There is nothing wrong with eating it this way, but if the texture is too unpalatable, all you need to do is let it come back to room temperature and it will return to its normal state.

I find that if my family finishes the salad in the first two days or so it doesn’t even solidify until about the third day.

Store bought salad dressings have emulsifiers and weird additives to prevent any unwanted consistency in commercial salad dressings. However, the health implications of all these unpronounceable things is unknown if not known to be not so great.

To slow down this process, you could use half olive oil and half another oil with a lower solidifying temperature. You could also add some starch like pasta water or potato water to slow down this process.

If you don’t need the salad to be vegan, some people use egg to help emulsify their dressings.

For more information, I talk more about pasta water in this lemon pepper pasta post (among other things).

Arabic Salad Ingredients

Before you begin, you will need:

• 2 large cucumbers, washed and peeled
• 2 large tomatoes (hothouse or beefsteak variety), washed
• 1/2 a red onion, or more if you want
• 1/2 a bunch of curly parsley, or the whole thing if you love parsley, washed
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar (more or less to taste)
• Salt, to taste. I like kosher salt for this dish but any salt you have on hand is fine.
• Dish with a lid (or foil or plastic wrap) to layer your salad in. I used a 9″ x 9″ casserole dish.
• Knife and cutting board

Arabic Salad Instructions

1. To begin, chop your first peeled cucumber. I usually do quartered rounds. This will be your first layer in the dish.
2. Then, chop your first tomato into similar sized pieces, and make that your second layer.
3. Next, chop about one or two 1/2 inch rounds of red onion into small pieces and add that to the dish.
4. Chop your parsley roughly and sprinkle about 1/2 of what you plan to use over the dish.
5. Sprinkle salt over your first complete layer of salad.
6. Repeat steps 1-5 with the remaining cucumber, tomato, however much onion and parsley you would like, and another layer of salt.
7. Drizzle the red wine vinegar evenly over the dish.
8. Next, drizzle the olive oil evenly over your salad.
9. Cover your dish and let it sit in your refrigerator until you are ready to eat it!

This Arabic salad tastes good right away and after a few hours, but for bolder flavor, let it marinate for 5-6 hours, or better yet, overnight.

Do you make something similar in your home? I’d be interested to hear in the comments what you call it and how it varies from this recipe.

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Variations of Arabic Salad

Omit the vinegar or swap it out for lemon juice to let the taste of the fresh vegetables be the star of this dish.

Add fresh chopped mint to enhance the refreshing, cooling effect.

You could add vegetables you like – green bell peppers, green onions, corn, etc.

Add bulgar (or couscous for a more French style) and you’ve got a taboule (tabouli, tabbouleh, etc.) salad!

This would also be good with rice or millet.

You could try whatever type of vinegar you have at home instead of red wine vinegar.

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Related Mezze Posts and another Cucumber Recipe

If you like this salad, check out my taboule!

For a quick treat, try my Turkish yogurt dip, haydari.

You may also like my stuffed grape leaves, or dawali.

In addition, you’ll love this quick and easy hommus, or chickpea dip!

If you have leftover cucumber after making this salad, you may wish to try my recipe for cucumber sushi, or kappa maki.

Important: This post is for informational and educational purposes only. This post should not be taken as medical or nutritional advice or used as a substitute for such. You should always speak to your own doctor or nutritionist before implementing this information on your own. Thank you!

I hope you enjoyed this Arabic salad recipe!