Name: Sumac Cucumber Radish Salad
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Cuisine: Middle-Eastern
Ingredients: 1/4 cup (33 g) lemon juice; 3 tbsp (30 g) olive oil; 1 tbsp (12 g) honey; 1/2 tsp kosher salt*; 5 persian cucumbers, thinly sliced (320 g); 1 bunch radishes, thinly sliced (260 g); 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced (70 g); 1/4 cup (10 g) chopped dill, loosely packed; 1/2 cup (12 g) loosely packed mint leaves (about 30 leaves); 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds; 1-2 tsp sumac

Whenever I need a side salad for a meal (or need to get in some veggies), I always default to this sesame and sumac cucumber radish salad.

It’s a combo of thinly sliced radishes, Persian cucumber, and red onion, paired with toasted sesame seeds, sumac, and a very lemony vinaigrette. This cucumber radish salad is crunchy, fresh, and pretty much perfect!

The sumac lends a nice tang and zest to this salad, making it the perfect side for any Middle-Eastern/Mediterranean main. Or you can eat this on its own (guilty of demolishing this whole bowl on my own)!

sumac cucumber radish salad in a white bowl

Ingredients You’ll Need

Everything you need to make this sesame and sumac cucumber radish salad.

Persian cucumbers
Radishes: I like to get a mixed bunch of radishes to have more color in the salad.
Red onion
Fresh dill
Fresh mint
Toasted sesame seeds
Sumac
Lemon juice
Olive oil
Honey
Kosher salt: Specifically, Diamond Crystal kosher salt. If you’re using Morton kosher salt, reduce the salt by half. Morton is much saltier and denser than Diamond Crystal kosher salt.

Method Behind this Cucumber Radish Salad

Start by prepping the vinaigrette – whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, honey, and salt in a large serving bowl. For visual purposes, I put the vinaigrette in a separate bowl in this photo, but I typically whisk it together in the serving bowl I use for the salad, and then pile the veggies, herbs, and spices on top to save on dishes.

Prep the veggies. I highly recommend using a mandoline to slice the radishes and cucumbers. You’ll get even, uniform pieces (plus it’s much faster). Once prepped, dump the veggies along with the sliced red onion, dill, mint, toasted sesame seeds, and sumac into the bowl with the vinaigrette.

thinly sliced radishes on a wooden cutting board

thinly sliced radishes and cucumber on a wooden cutting board

Mix well with tongs (I use my hands because it’s easier) and adjust for salt as needed. Serve immediately – the veggies start to lose their crunch if they sit too long.

Notes & Serving Suggestions

Like shirazi salad, where the veggies are cut perfectly uniform, the key to this salad is to have the cucumber and radish uniform in size – I highly recommend using a mandoline. It speeds up the chopping process and gives you perfectly cut veggies (cue safety reminder to use the guard on your mandoline)!
Love serving this salad with buttery saffron rice and grilled za’atar chicken (my family’s go-to meal for a side salad like this). But any Middle-Eastern or Mediterranean dish would pair well with this. For grains, I’d go with any type of basmati rice or pearl couscous, and for protein, fish, chicken, and lamb would all pair great.
If you want to eat this as is (guilty of demolishing this whole bowl, single-handedly), feel free to throw in some chickpeas to make this a balanced salad, i.e., more protein (or don’t, tastes great either way).

Can’t wait for you to make this salad – it’s a favorite of mine! Don’t forget to leave a rating and review below – I love hearing your feedback, and it helps my blog be shared more widely.