Zesty cucumber radish salad with fresh mint, sumac and toasted sesame seeds. A fresh and crisp salad to serve as a side dish over yogurt.
I love throwing together side salads that are made with simple ingredients, but pack in tons of flavor. This middle eastern inspired salad is made with crunchy cucumbers and radish, fresh mint leaves, toasted sesame seeds and zesty sumac.
The dressing is olive oil, lemon and salt. It’s the perfect little side dish to serve over labneh or Greek yogurt.
Sumac is a popular middle-eastern spice that adds a slight tangy flavor to salads or marinades. Made from dried and ground berries of the wild sumac flower, it adds a subtle lemon flavor to so many dishes.
Other ways to use sumac
Ingredients in this recipe
This 20-minute recipe comes together using only a few ingredients-
- Persian cucumbers– I recommend Persian cucumbers over English cucumbers since they are smaller and have a little more flavor
- Radish
- Fresh mint
- Toasted sesame seeds– toasted sesame seeds are preferred for added flavor. I buy mine toasted, but you can toast your own
- Olive oil
- Lemon juice
- Flakey salt
- Start by thinly slicing the cucumbers and radish into 1/4 inch pieces. I do this using a sharp chef’s knife, but you can carefully slice them using a mandoline (always wear a glove when using a mandoline!)
- Finely chop the mint leaves
- Add the sliced veggies to a salad bowl with the mint, sumac, toasted sesame seeds, lemon juice, olive oil and salt
- Toss together to combine and adjust salt to taste
I love to serve this salad over yogurt with warm pita or pita chips. It’s a simple yet delicious side dish that the whole family will love!
What to serve with your cucumber salad:
Herbed Pearl Couscous and Salmon
Avocado Chicken Wraps with Harissa Mayo
Shawarma Chicken Bowls
Cucumber Radish Sumac Salad
Ingredients
- 5-6 Persian cucumbers
- 5 radishes
- 1/4 cup fresh mint, finely chopped
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds plus more to top
- 2 tbsp sumac
- Juice from 1 large lemon
- Salt to taste
- Optional: dill to top
- Serve with: Labne or Greek yogurt
Directions
- Trim the ends off of the cucumbers and radish.
- Using a sharp chef's knife, thinly slice the veggies into rounds. You can also use a mandoline for this step
- Add the sliced cucumbers and radish to a salad bowl with the chopped mint, olive oil, lemon juice, sumac, sesame seeds and salt to taste.
- Toss together to combine and adjust salt. Garnish with dill and extra sesame seeds.
- Serve as a side dish over labne or Greek yogurt
- Leftovers can be refrigerated for 1-2 days. This recipe is best served fresh, but you can prepare the veggies and herbs and toss with the dressing before serving.
May be a bit too spicy if you’re not used to sumac so use less at first
Hi Linda, I have it listed in the ingredient list as optional, and mentioned in step 4!