Levantine cuisine · Salads & Mezze

Salatet Zaatar Akhdar

Palestinian salad of fresh za'atar leaves with tomatoes, onions, sumac, and plenty of lemon.

Ingredients · for 4 servings

• 150 g fresh za'atar leaves (or substitute half marjoram, half thyme)
• 2 ripe tomatoes
• 1 onion
• 1 lemon
• 1 tsp sumac
• 1/2 tsp chili flakes
• 5 tbsp olive oil
• Salt

Instructions

1. Pluck the za'atar leaves from the woody stems, wash in cold water, and dry very thoroughly on a towel — only the tender leaves go into the salad.
2. Roughly cut any very large leaves once and put everything in a wide bowl.
3. Slice the onion into thin half-rings, work it with 1/2 tsp salt and the juice of half a lemon, and let it sit for 5 min until soft and mild.
4. Deseed the tomatoes and cut into small dice so the salad doesn't turn watery.
5. Toss the leaves, onion, and tomatoes loosely with the olive oil, the remaining lemon juice, sumac, and chili flakes, and season with salt.
6. Serve immediately — fresh za'atar wilts quickly; warm flatbread goes well with it.