Fattoush is a chunky Mediterranean salad full of healthy veggies and toasted pita bread ~ a tangy lemon-sumac dressing makes it extra delicious!
fattoush salad ~ what is it?
Fattoush is a Middle Eastern salad, specifically from the Levant region (Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan, and Syria.) It’s basically a chopped veggie salad mixed with crisp toasted pita, simply dressed with olive oil, lemon, and sumac.
Fattoush is different from other similar salads in that the ingredients are chopped into larger bite sized pieces, so it has a nice chunky texture. Another identifying feature is the crisp toasted pita bread tossed throughout. If done right, the pita is light and crisp and adds a wonderful crunch to the dish. The pita and the feta cheese make fattoush a good candidate for a light meatless meal.
what you’ll need
Fill your market basket with the reddest tomatoes, the tiniest cukes, the firmest purple onion, a bright bell pepper, and lots of fresh parsley and mint. Grab a pretty bunch of radishes, some feta cheese, and glossy black olives — and don’t forget the pita bread, lemon, and sumac!
sumac is a key ingredient in fattoush
All the ingredients in fattoush are commonplace, except for the sumac. It’s a deep red, tart spice made from crushed sumac berries that I’ve used many times before here in the Great Island kitchen. It looks a little like chili powder, but has a tangy, citrus flavor and it’s popular in Middle Eastern recipes. You can find it in specialty groceries, or of course, always on Amazon. If you like cooking along with me, you will definitely want to stock it in your spice cabinet, I’ve fallen in love how it can wake up a dish. I use it here to flavor a simple dressing of olive oil and fresh lemon juice — simple and unusual.
This salad is a particular favorite of mine, the little crispy bits of pita bread are satisfying but light enough that they don’t weigh the salad down. It’s a wonderful choice for entertaining because it’s out of the ordinary, but doesn’t have any controversial ingredients to bother picky guests. It’s absolutely beautiful, too.
tips for making fattoush salad
- Leafy greens are sometimes included in fattoush recipes, so feel free to extend this salad with your favorite. Purslane, a type of succulent, is traditional. It’s considered a weed here in the US, but is eaten in much of the rest of the world and I’m starting to see it at my farmer’s market. Romaine would be another choice.
- Try to use good tomatoes…I mixed regular, heirloom, and cherry tomatoes for variety. Go with what’s ripe at the moment.
- You can use ready made pita chips in place of the toasted pita if you like.
- I don’t recommend making this salad very far ahead of time. Tomatoes don’t do well in the refrigerator, and the pita bread will lose some of its crunch. If you want to make it up to a few hours in advance, leave out the pita and toss it in at the last minute.
more Middle Eastern salads to try
- Shirazi Salad (Persian Cucumber Tomato Salad)
- Israeli Salad Recipe with Za’atar Dressing
- Israeli Pasta Salad
- Tomato, Onion, and Roasted Lemon Salad
- Middle Eastern Chickpea Salad (Balela)
- Loaded Tabbouleh Salad
- Jeweled Tabbouleh
Fattoush
Ingredients
- 1 round of pita bread
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- pinch of onion salt
- 2 ripe tomatoes
- a handful of cherry tomatoes
- 2 small Persian cucumbers, or 1/2 of a larger one
- 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced, or chopped in a small dice
- several radishes, sliced or cut into wedges
- 2 ounces feta cheese, cut in small chunks
- a handful of cured black olives, pitted
- a large handful of clean parsley leaves, chopped
- a smaller handful of mint leaves, rough chopped or torn
dressing
- 4 Tbsp olive oil
- 3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp sumac
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Cut the pita bread into 1 inch squares, and then carefully separate the two layers of the bread, so you are left with single layer squares. Toss them with the olive oil and onion salt until evenly coated.
- Toast the pita in a large skillet over medium heat until they are brown and crisp. Stir and flip them almost constantly and try to keep them in a single layer so they will toast evenly. Set aside.
- Chop the tomatoes into bite size chunks. Halve or quarter the cherry tomatoes. Put them all in a large bowl.
- Slice the Persian cucumbers into bite sized chunks. There is no need to peel them. If you use a regular cucumber, peel and de-seed it first.
- Add the onions, radishes, cheese, and olives to the bowl, along with the fresh parsley and mint.
- Whisk together the dressing ingredients and taste to adjust any of them. If you like it less tangy, add more oil. Toss the salad in enough dressing to moisten. Toss the toasted pita and serve immediately.
This is a fabulous recipe. I made 1.5 times the pita because pita croutons are so good and added a little bit of chopped romaine to use it up and I could have eaten the whole thing by myself. Thanks for a great recipe!
Thank you Vivian, glad you enjoyed it.
Love this Sue! One of my faves. I use za’atar pizzas that I get at a Lebanese bakery not to far from here. Always keep a few in my freezer for there are countless ways to use them. Looks like I should get one out now!
Za’atar pizza sounds good!
I did a fattoush salad recently too as a friend asked. It’s so simple but the dressing makes a huge difference! 😀 I used pomegranate molasses and sumac – I love that spice!
what a gorgeous salad, I need to make this PRONTO!
this looks wonderful and shouts summer to me
i should’ve known that you would make an often-unphotogenic dish absolutely beautiful! delicious recipe too. 🙂
You made me laugh — I love a challenge!
I love a good chunky salad. This is so pretty! I do love the addition of the toasted pita – just the right amount of crunch. Perfect for welcoming an early spring.
This looks so pretty! I make the fattoush recipe from Jerusalem pretty frequently (because, Ottolenghi). I’m pretty sure there are a thousand ways to make fattoush and I assume all delicious!
You know, I somehow missed that one, I’m off to find my book and look. Mine is an almost exact replica of one I had in a local restaurant, and luckily they listed all the ingredients on the menu, so I had a lot to go on. Thanks for stopping by Lizzy.