Tahini Salad
This tahini salad recipe is my go-to when I want a refreshing yet creamy bite. It is complementary to so many Arab meals like beef kofta kebab, beef shawarma, chicken, falafel, and seafood dishes like sayadieh. It’s so dimensional in flavors that you wouldn’t think it would be this easy to put together but it is! Although, I have been making this salad for years; I never thought to share it because it is so simple. But simple, delicious recipes like this need to be shared too!
What are key components to a Tahini Salad?
The most traditional vegetables and herbs used in this salad are tomatoes, red onions, cucumbers, and parsley. Some recipes don’t call for onions, but I think it adds a sharp flavor to the salad that I love. Parsley is the only herb used and it’s distinctive to this salad and bakdonseeyeh which translates to a parsley salad that is commonly made with tahini as well. I also find that fine even dices are the way to go in this particular salad to keep it more authentic and tastier.
How to make Tahini dressing?
To make the creamy tahini dressing is very simple too! You stir tahini paste, lemon juice, water, salt, and pepper. When you mix tahini with lemon; you will notice the dressing will thicken and become paste-like. That is where the water comes into play. It is used to thin out the mixture to get it to a creamy dressing-like consistency of your preference. You will also find that this salad is best at least an hour after its been refrigerated and the flavors have come together. The tomatoes will release their juices adding more flavor and creaminess to the tahini salad.
I hope you try this simple salad with tahini, especially with Ramadan around the corner! If tahini isn’t for you, try my go-to Arabic salad or Fattoush! Send your remakes over to my Instagram for a chance to get featured. I would love to see them. Feel free to leave questions and comments below!
Tahini Salad
Ingredients
- 1/2 Red onion, finely chopped
- 2 Tomatoes, finely chopped
- 2 Perisan cucumbers, finely chopepd
- 1 Small bunch of parsley, finely chopped (approx 1 cup)
Tahini Dressing
- 1 Lemon's Juice
- 1/3 cup Tahini Paste
- Water to thin out the dressing into a pourable consistency
- Salt & Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add all the chopped vegetables into the desired serving bowl.
- For the dressing, stir together the tahini and lemon juice. You will notice it get thicker and paste-like. This is when you start adding water. Start with 2 tbsp and go from there. Add enough water to reach a dressing like creamy consistency. Season with salt and pepper.
- Top the diced vegetables with the dressing and mix together very well. Adjust salt if needed at this point. Cover and place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before serving so the flavors are more pronounced and the dressing is even creamier since the tomatoes will have had time to release their juices.
- Enjoy this salad with fish, beef kofta, kebabs, falafel or chicken.
This is a necessity every time we make bbq with my family. Typically we all know how to make this but I love that you even post simple recipes like this because unless you make it everyday you forget like the measurements of each ingredient. So I like to reference back to this in order to jog my memory. 😊 Thank you for posting recipes and making easier for us. I appreciate it and all your hard efforts.
Amazing!