Easy Mediterranean Chopped Salad with Fresh Herbs

Mediterranean chopped salad in a bowl, featuring tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion, and herbs. The bowl is accompanied by a napkin and salad servers.

Easy Mediterranean Chopped Salad with Fresh Herbs

A quick chop chop salad featuring veggies and herbs dressed simply with salt, olive oil, and lemon juice or red wine vinegar. Easy, versatile, and customizable!

Prep Time5

Salting/rest time15

Total Time20

Servings: as a side salad

Ingredients

▢ 1 large cucumber
▢ 2-3 vine-ripened tomatoes
▢ ½ red onion
▢ ¼ cup fresh parsley
▢ ¼ cup fresh cilantro
▢ 2 tablespoons fresh mint
▢ ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, separated plus more to taste
▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil
▢ 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar or fresh lemon juice plus more to taste

Instructions

Salt your cucumber (this is optional, but recommended): peel, seed, and dice your cucumber and toss with ½ teaspoon salt. Place in a fine mesh strainer over a bowl. Note: if you use English or Persian cucumbers, you do not need to peel them.
1 large cucumber
Dice the tomato and add it to the cucumbers. Toss and set aside for 15 minutes to drain.
2-3 vine-ripened tomatoes
While the tomatoes and cucumbers are draining, dice the onion and mince the herbs. Add them to a salad bowl.
½ red onion, ¼ cup fresh parsley, ¼ cup fresh cilantro, 2 tablespoons fresh mint
Add the drained cucumbers and tomatoes to the salad. Sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon of salt and toss, and let sit for 30 seconds or so. Taste for seasoning. It should taste well-seasoned, but not overly salty. Add salt by the pinch if it is not seasoned enough, mixing well, and let sit for 30 seconds before tasting again.
¾ teaspoon kosher salt, separated
Once you have the seasoning right, toss first with the olive oil, and then the red wine vinegar or lemon juice. Taste and add more vinegar by the ½ teaspoon as needed.
2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar or fresh lemon juice

Notes

Recipe Notes

If you don't have fresh lemon juice available, red wine vinegar is vastly preferred to bottled lemon juice.
Use any mix of parsley, cilantro, and mint—you don’t need all three. Just avoid using mint on its own; it needs backup.
Chop your veggies however you like. We dice everything small (my family’s favorite), but a rougher chop is just fine if you're short on time.
This salad is endlessly customizable. Try adding kalamata olives, feta, artichoke hearts, fresh or roasted peppers, any kind of bean, or a handful of dill.

Substitutions

Swap red onion for yellow if needed.
Champagne or sherry vinegar are good stand-ins for lemon juice or red wine vinegar.

Storage

This Mediterranean chopped salad keeps well in the fridge for up to 2 days. This may vary a bit depending on how fresh your veggies are going in.

Nutrition