Israeli Chopped Salad (Salat Katzutz)
Tags: #israeli #salad #vegan #glutenfree #pareve
Serving: 4 servings
Total time: 20 minutes
A bright, finely diced cucumber–tomato–herb salad dressed with lemon and olive oil, served at nearly every Israeli table.
Ingredients
- 300 g cucumbers (Persian or mini)
- 400 g ripe tomatoes (firm)
- 80 g red onion
- 25 g flat-leaf parsley leaves
- 5 g fresh mint leaves (optional)
- 30 ml fresh lemon juice
- 30 ml extra-virgin olive oil
- 5 g fine sea salt
- 1 g ground black pepper
- 2 g ground sumac (optional)
Steps
- Wash cucumbers, tomatoes, parsley, and mint.
- Dry cucumbers, tomatoes, parsley, and mint.
- Trim ends from cucumbers.
- Halve cucumbers lengthwise.
- Scrape cucumber seeds with a spoon if present.
- Dice cucumbers into 5 mm cubes.
- Core tomatoes.
- Dice tomatoes into 5 mm cubes.
- Peel red onion.
- Dice red onion into 3–5 mm pieces.
- Chop parsley leaves finely.
- Chop mint leaves finely (optional).
- Place cucumbers, tomatoes, red onion, parsley, and mint in a large bowl.
- Add lemon juice to the bowl.
- Add olive oil to the bowl.
- Add salt to the bowl.
- Add black pepper to the bowl.
- Toss salad gently until coated.
- Taste the salad.
- Adjust salt and lemon juice to taste.
- Sprinkle sumac over the salad (optional).
- Serve the salad immediately.
Notes
- Dice size is key: a fine, even 5 mm chop gives the signature texture and prevents sogginess.
- Use firm, flavorful tomatoes (Roma or vine-ripened) to reduce excess liquid.
- For a drier salad, seed tomatoes before dicing or drain diced tomatoes in a sieve for 5 minutes.
- Classic additions vary by home; common variations include 120 g green bell pepper (diced 5 mm) or 80 g radish (diced 5 mm).
- Serve alongside eggs (e.g., shakshuka), falafel, schnitzel, grilled fish, or with labneh on the table.
- For a herby twist, substitute sumac with 4 g za’atar and reduce black pepper to 0.5 g.