Last Updated on 19/04/2024 by Adina
Mediterranean parsley salad or tabbouleh, tabouleh, tabouli, probably the best-known Middle Eastern salad recipe, made with lots of parsley, dressed in a simple olive oil and lemon juice dressing.
This amazing Mediterranean parsley salad, or Tabbouleh, is all about the parsley. I have been making one version or another of tabbouleh for years now, but most of the time, until recently, I have concentrated on the bulgur, building the salad around it.
Well, OK, as I have tons and tons of fresh parsley in my herb garden now, I thought, “What better time to make a parsley salad?” There is no better time, actually.
And in case you are swimming in parsley at the moment as well, how about making this Homemade Parsley and Garlic Paste? I am addicted to it and put it in just about anything.
Jump to recipe
Recipe ingredients
Flat-leaf parsley is the best sort to use for making tabouli or tabbouleh; it has a stronger flavor and is better to eat. It is the main ingredient. You need lots of it. After removing the stems, I weighed the leaves; I had 3 oz/ 80 g.
- I like flat parsley much more than the curly version, which I sometimes think it kind of gets stuck in the throat.
- However, the curly-leaf version is growing like crazy in my garden this year, so I used about half flat-leaf and half curly-leaf parsley.
- Chop the parsley finely using a very sharp chef's knife that will cut the herbs properly without crushing and bruising them in the process. Don't be tempted to use a food processor, it will ruin the parsley, I am afraid. I know there will be a lot of chopping involved when making this salad, but it is really worth it!
Tip: You will have lots of leftover parsley stems; do not throw them away. You can freeze them and use them when you make chicken stock (Romanian Chicken Soup recipe), beef broth, turkey bone broth or vegetable broth.
Mint: A good ratio of parsley to mint is 4 to 1. So, as I had about 3 oz/ 80 g parsley, I needed about 0.7 oz/ 20 g fresh mint leaves, weighed after removing the stems. You should be able to feel the mint flavor in the tabbouleh; however, the mint should not challenge the parsley.
Make our Mint Basil Pesto, too. Or enjoy a cold Mint Gin Mojito.
Bulgur: I used the medium bulgur sort because that is what I had in the house. Fine or extra-fine bulgur is also fine; just make sure that you read the packet's instructions when you prepare it.
Tomatoes: There is a little debate here. Some people prefer to deseed the tomatoes, and some feel that the extra juices are OK in the salad.
- In my case is like this: if I happen to have Roma/plum tomatoes, which are rather firm and don't have so many seeds and juices, then I leave them as they are.
- If I use cherry or regular tomatoes, I deseed them; otherwise, the salad becomes too soggy.
Cucumbers: The best cucumbers for this Mediterranean parsley salad are short Persian cucumbers. They have a better flavor and are less watery than regular cucumbers. However, if you cannot find them, the long (English) cucumbers are fine as well. Remove the seeds using a teaspoon.
Onions: I used green onions, but you can use shallots or red onions.
Dressing: The dressing for the Tabbouleh or Tabouli Salad is very simple, just a mixture of lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper. I had a rather large lemon, and it was perfect. Taste the salad and adjust the lemon to your taste; you can use less or more lemon juice accordingly.
How to make parsley salad?
- Prepare the bulgur. Cover it with hot broth (or water) and let it stand until the water is absorbed. Medium bulgur needs about 5 - 10 minutes, but check the package instructions. If you still have liquid in the bowl after this time, drain the grains well in a fine-meshed sieve. Place the grains in a large salad bowl.
Combine bulgur, herbs, and chopped vegetables in a large bowl.
Mix lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper to taste to make the dressing. Add it to the salad.
Good to know!
Usually, fine or extra-fine bulgur only needs about 5 minutes of soaking time in hot water or broth. My bulgur needed 10 minutes of soaking time in hot broth.
Don't use a food processor to chop the herbs; it is way better to chop them by hand using a large, sharp knife.
What to serve with tabbouleh?
Serve the parsley salad immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve. If you want to make it ahead (a few hours), add the dressing before serving.
Do you like this recipe?
Please leave a good rating in the recipe card below. Stay in touch through social media: Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram. Don’t forget to tag #whereismyspoon when you try a recipe!Recipe
Mediterranean Parsley Salad – Tabbouleh or Tabouli
Ingredients
- ½ cup fine or medium bulgur wheat 115 g/ g/ 4 oz, Note 1
- 1 cup hot vegetable broth 250 ml
- 4 medium plum tomatoes Note 2
- 1 long thin English cucumber Note 3
- 3-4 spring onions depending on size
- 3 oz fresh parsley leaves 90 g, Note 4
- 0.7 oz fresh mint leaves 20 g, Note 4
- 1 large lemon
- 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- fine sea salt and pepper
Instructions
- Prepare bulgur: Place the bulgur into a heatproof bowl and cover it with the hot vegetable broth. Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes or according to the packet's instructions. Drain well, if you notice that not all liquid has been absorbed. Place the drained bulgur into a large bowl and let cool while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.½ cup fine or medium bulgur wheat + 1 cup hot vegetable broth
- Prepare ingredients: Halve the tomatoes and deseed them, if necessary. Chop them very finely. Deseed the cucumber, if necessary, and chop it finely as well. Thinly slice the spring onions.4 medium plum tomatoes + 1 long thin English cucumber + 3-4 spring onions
- Chop herbs: Remove the stems from the parsley and mint, and weigh the leaves. Chop both kinds of herbs very finely with a sharp knife to avoid bruising them too much.3 oz fresh parsley leaves + 0.7 oz fresh mint leaves
- Combine salad: Add all the chopped herbs and vegetables to the bulgar bowl. Mix carefully but thoroughly and add the lemon juice and the olive oil. Adjust the taste with salt and pepper and more lemon juice, if necessary.1 large lemon + 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil + fine sea salt and pepper
Notes
- Bulgur: Read the packet's instructions. Soaking times depend on the sort (and sometimes on the brand) of the bulgur you use.
- Plum tomatoes are firm and don't have too many seeds, that is why I don't deseed them. If using other sorts of juicier tomatoes, you should deseed them, otherwise, the tabbouleh might be too soggy.
- Cucumber: If available, use 3-4 Persian cucumbers, depending on size. Persian cucumbers don't need to be deseeded, they are crispier and less watery.
- Herbs: I weighed the leaves after removing the stems of the herbs. You should have about 3 oz/ 80 g parsley leaves and about 0.7 oz/ 20 g mint leaves.
Nancy says
Hello Adina!
Love the pictures of this beautiful “salad” and it looks delicious but please this is not “tabbouleh”.
Tabbouleh has no cucumbers no stock and way less bourghoul and it misses sumac, and pomegranate molasses.
A Lebanese Chef
Sissi says
I love tabbouleh! The more herbs there are the better and such a great way to use up this parsley from my balcony garden...
Adina says
I am buried in herbs at the moment...
Anca says
It looks fantastic, fresh, green, really perfect for Summer.
angiesrecipes says
One of my favourites! My husband doesn't like it because it's too green for him ö-)
mjskitchen says
Love the higher ration of bulgur in your tabbouleh. Some recipes are so heavy on the parsley that the dish is green and not enough depth. Your recipe seems to have a really nice balance of ingredients, Thanks for sharing Adina!