After a delicious salad with a twist? Try out Lebanese Fattoush Salad, a tangy crispy salad topped with yummy pieces of fried flatbread
NOT a salad person
Don’t judge me, but I’m far from being a salad person. I could probably recall the times I’ve ordered salads when I’m eating out because I rarely do! Unless it’s a side dish we’ve ordered with our mains.
A few months ago, I was having brunch with my sister, Nara, in a cafe near our house. When she heard me ask for a ‘Spicy chicken, avocado salad’, she quickly peered up from her menu. Nara waited for our server to disappear before she questions ‘Why did you order a salad? Are you feeling ok?’ Haha, she knows me too well…and yes that place makes a very satisfying salad.
Salad to me is like soup. I enjoy eating them, but there’s other stuff on the menu that appeals to me more. Our family are big eaters too, and most times a salad just won’t do. So, if I’m posting salad recipes, it’s got to be pretty special! This Lebanese Fattoush Salad ticks all my boxes!
When I first had Fattoush, I fell head over heels in love with the crispy fried flatbread. I couldn’t get enough of it. I had no clue that frying pita bread is how ‘Lebanese croutons’ are made. Sometimes olive oil is brushed on the flatbread then sprinkled with herbs or za’atar before frying. I skipped this because I find them already tasty, even without seasoning. However, if you wish to add more flavour to your flatbread, this extra step won’t take long.
Fattoush looks unique and inviting. It seems to get my guests curious. ‘What’s that salad?’ It’s a real conversation starter. I don’t think I met anyone that hasn’t enjoyed Fattoush after trying some… unless they’re lying to me. Another great thing about this salad is the fried bread stays crispy for hours, so you don’t have to worry about it. More drinking and less stressing 🥂
Fattoush Salad
What’s in a Fattoush Salad?
In every Lebanese restaurant I’ve been to, the salad ingredients have varied. Most of them have lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, capsicum (bell pepper), radish, onions or spring onions, parsley, and mint.
I used most of these vegetables, excluding mint and spring onions because I didn’t have any on hand. Salads are best when we use the vegetables we love to eat, so use more or fewer vegetables to suit you, or swap them with the ones you prefer. I’m big on cucumbers and fried bread! 😂😂😂 Next time I would love to throw in some pomegranate arils because I think they would go brilliantly in this salad.
What’s in the dressing of a Fattoush Salad?
Fattoush salad is predominately sour because it has a few tart ingredients in its dressing, including lemon juice, sumac and pomegranate molasses.
I know some of us are not into sour salads, and my husband, Tomi, is one of them! To balance the tartness so he doesn’t avoid eating this salad altogether, I would add a teaspoon of sugar or honey to the dressing.
Other ingredients included in the dressing are extra virgin olive oil, allspice, salt and pepper. Always taste the dressing and adjust it to your liking before pouring it over the salad.
Here are some more exciting side dishes to try:
Ingredients for Fattoush Salad
Lebanese pita (flatbread) – These are large round flatbreads used to make Lebanese or Turkish kebabs. They’re very thin, almost paper-like and hollow inside. Supermarkets usually stock Lebanese pita next to packaged bread, and they’re relatively cheap.
Lebanese cucumbers – I used baby cucumbers (Qukes) that are mild in flavour and very crisp, but these may be difficult to find. The best substitute for Qukes would be Lebanese/ Persian cucumbers.
Pomegranate molasses is sweet and tangy, with a slight caramel flavour. Supermarkets stock bottles of pomegranate molasses in the international section. If you don’t want to buy a bottle, just swap for equal amounts with honey, maple syrup or balsamic glaze or reduction.
Ground sumac is a popular seasoning used in the Middle East. It has a brick-red colour with a tangy citrus taste. Supermarkets stock sumac in their spice racks. If you can’t find sumac, just omit it.
Allspice (Jamaica pepper, myrtle pepper, or pimento) is named ‘all spice’ because they likened its flavour to a combination of spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Supermarkets stock allspice in racks along with other herbs and spices.
Subscribe to 3CatsFoodie’s FREE Newsletter
For the latest recipes and other fun stuff!
Watch how to make Fattoush Salad
Step-by-step guide with photos
For the dressing – Place all the dressing ingredients in a bowl and whisk together until combined. Have a taste and adjust to your liking by adding more salt and pepper if needed. If the dressing is too sour for your liking, add 1/2 to 1 tsp of sugar (or honey) and whisk until dissolved. Leave the dressing to sit at room temperature to develop flavours whilst preparing the other ingredients.
Fry the flatbread – Pour a generous amount of oil (2.5 cm or 1 inch) into a small heavy-based saucepan. Heat the oil over medium-high heat.
Roughly tear the flatbread into pieces or cut them into squares. Test the oil by placing a piece of bread into the oil. If it sizzles and bubbles around the bread, then it’s ready. Working a small batch at a time, fry the bread for 20 seconds or until crisp. Use tongs to a small metal strainer to turn the bread so it colours evenly when frying. Drain the oil from the bread, and transfer them onto a plate lined with a paper towel.
For the salad – Place all the salad ingredients into a large bowl and use two large spoons to toss the salad to combine. Whisk the dressing again quickly, then pour over the salad, then toss again to coat the vegetables. Top the salad with some fried flatbread, and serve the remaining in a small bowl next to the salad.
I’ve used a third-party application to calculate the calories and nutritional information, so please use this as an approximate guide only.
Cooking measurements are in Australian standard spoon and cup measurements. For specific details and conversions, visit our Australian Cooking Measurements page.
I would love your feedback and support if you made this recipe. To do this, please rate this recipe and provide a comment by scrolling down this page or by clicking that green circle on the bottom left. An email address is required (for spam), but it won’t be published. I would also love to see your dish, so don’t forget to tag me on my Instagram account ‘3catsfoodie’
Cheers – Cat T
Fattoush Salad
Ingredients
- 1 large Lebanese pita bread (roughly torn) (NOTE 1)
- vegetable or canola oil to fry
For the salad
- 1 small cos / Romaine lettuce (roughly chopped)
- 2 medium tomatoes (roughly diced)
- 6 Qukes baby cucumbers (or 2 Lebanese/Persian cucumbers, roughly diced) (NOTE 2)
- ½ medium red capsicum (red bell pepper, roughly diced)
- 6 radish (thinly sliced)
- ½ small red onion (roughly diced)
- ⅓ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
For the dressing
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 garlic cloves (minced)
- 1 tsp ground sumac (NOTE 3)
- ¼ tsp ground allspice (NOTE 4)
- 2 tsp pomegranate molasses (NOTE 5)
- ¾ tsp salt
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- For the dressing – Place all the dressing ingredients in a bowl and whisk together until combined. Have a taste and adjust to your liking by adding more salt and pepper if needed. If the dressing is too sour for your liking, add 1/2 to 1 tsp of sugar (or honey) and whisk until dissolved. Leave the dressing to sit at room temperature to develop flavours whilst preparing the other ingredients.
- Fry the flatbread – Pour a generous amount of oil (2.5 cm or 1 inch) into a small heavy-based saucepan. Heat the oil over medium-high heat. Roughly tear the flatbread into pieces or cut them into squares. Test the oil by placing a piece of bread into the oil. If it sizzles and bubbles around the bread, then it's ready. Working a small batch at a time, fry the bread for 20 seconds or until crisp. Use tongs to a small metal strainer to turn the bread so it colours evenly when frying. Drain the oil from the bread, and transfer them onto a plate lined with a paper towel.
- For the salad – Place all the salad ingredients into a large bowl and use two large spoons to toss the salad to combine. Whisk the dressing again quickly, then pour over the salad, then toss again to coat the vegetables. Top the salad with some fried flatbread, and serve the remaining in a small bowl next to the salad.
