Israel · Salads · Vegetarian

Cucumber and Tomato Salad

Name: Cucumber and Tomato Salad
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 13 min
Total time: 18 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Israeli
Ingredients: 1 large cucumber; 2-3 medium tomatoes; 1 small red onion; 1/2 cup fresh mint; 1/2 cup fresh parsley; 1 cup plain yogurt; 2 tbsp lemon juice; 2 cloves garlic; 1-2 tbsp olive oil; 1/2 tsp fresh dill; to taste salt and black pepper

A refreshing salad that harmoniously combines the crunchy texture and delicate flavor of vegetables with a light, creamy yogurt dressing.

18 min 80 kcal 4 serves Medium🌿Vegetarian🇮🇱Israel★★★★☆4.4· 5 reviews

Ingredients

ServingsMetric

1 largecucumber
2 mediumtomatoes
1 smallred onion
½ cupfresh mint
½ cupfresh parsley
1 cupplain yogurt
2 tbsplemon juice
2 clovesgarlic
1 tbspolive oil
½ tspfresh dill
to tastesalt and black pepper

Note from Sergei

Sergei Martynov

“This is the salad I grew up eating in some version almost every day — its simplicity is its greatest strength. The secret that elevates it beyond ordinary is cutting everything into a fine, uniform small dice. In Israeli cuisine, where this salad appears at every meal, the vegetables are chopped so fine they're almost minced, and that's what makes each bite burst with combined flavors rather than tasting one ingredient at a time. I always salt the cucumbers separately for five minutes and drain them — this removes the excess water that would dilute the dressing.”

Use the ripest, most flavorful tomatoes you can find — in winter, cherry or grape tomatoes often have better flavor than large ones. Add the dressing and fresh herbs just before serving to keep everything crisp.

Method

Slice the cucumber, tomatoes and onion. Place them in a large bowl. Add the chopped mint and parsley.
In a separate bowl, combine the yogurt, lemon juice, olive oil, crushed garlic, salt and pepper. Mix well.
Pour the yogurt dressing over the vegetables and mix gently.
Serve immediately or chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes for a richer flavor.

FAQ

Both tomatoes and cucumbers are high in water content, and salt draws it out rapidly. To minimize this, salt the salad only immediately before serving, not in advance. You can also pre-treat each vegetable separately: slice the cucumbers, toss with a pinch of salt in a colander, let stand 10 minutes, then pat dry. For tomatoes, cut them and let them drain briefly on a paper towel. Dress the salad at the very last moment — oil forms a thin protective coating on the vegetables that slows further moisture release. If the salad has already become watery, tilt the bowl and drain the liquid before serving. For a thicker dressing that clings better, add a small amount of Dijon mustard or a teaspoon of yogurt to the oil and vinegar — both act as emulsifiers.

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Comments (1)

Sergei Martynov✍ Author
29d ago
The knife work is what makes this cucumber and tomato salad special. Every piece of cucumber cut to the same size means every forkful is balanced. It's the kind of detail you taste but can't quite identify.