Armenian-Inspired Caprese Salad
If you love a classic Caprese salad, you have to try this Armenian-inspired version! While the ingredients in this salad aren't traditionally Armenian, they're all ingredients and flavors that I grew up eating and use often in my own cooking. Persian cucumbers, fresh basil, feta, lemon, mint, and sumac are all staples throughout Armenian, Middle-Eastern, and Mediterranean-influenced cooking, and there's so much natural overlap and meshing of cultures when it comes to food. As an Armenian, this is the kind of salad that just makes sense to me!Instead of the traditional Caprese combination of tomatoes, mozzarella, and balsamic, this version uses juicy heirloom tomatoes, crisp Persian cucumbers, creamy Greek feta, and both green and purple Persian basil. Everything gets layered over a simple dressing made directly on the plate with extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, sumac, dried mint, and chunky sea salt. It's bright, fresh, tangy, herby, and SO easy to make. And the best part? No dressing bowl needed!
Ingredients
For the Salad
- 4-5 heirloom tomatoes sliced
- 1 Persian cucumber diced
- 4 oz Greek feta cheese crumbled
- Green Persian or Thai basil to taste
- Purple Persian basil to taste
For the Dressing
- 3-4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil plus more for drizzling
- Juice of ½-1 lemon to taste
- 1 teaspoon sumac plus more for finishing
- 1 teaspoon dried mint plus more for finishing
- Chunky sea salt to taste
Instructions
Make the dressing
- Add 2-3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, sumac, dried mint, and chunky sea salt directly onto a large serving plate.
- Mix the ingredients together right on the plate to create your dressing.
Assemble the salad
- Slice the 4-5 heirloom tomatoes and arrange them over the dressing on the plate.
- Add the diced Persian cucumber over the tomatoes.
- Sprinkle the 4oz. crumbled Greek feta evenly over the salad.
- Add the green and purple basil. Keep the leaves whole for a more rustic presentation, or cut/tear them into smaller pieces if you prefer.
- You can also tuck some of the basil leaves into the dressing at the bottom of the plate.
Finish and serve
- Drizzle the salad with additional extra virgin olive oil.
- Finish with another sprinkle of chunky sea salt, sumac, and dried mint, plus a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.
- Serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
Don't refrigerate your tomatoes: For the best flavor and texture, keep your heirloom tomatoes at room temperature. Refrigerating tomatoes can dull their flavor and affect their texture.
Basil, whole or cut: I love keeping the basil leaves whole for a beautiful, rustic presentation, but you can absolutely cut or tear them into smaller pieces so you get fresh basil in every bite.
Make the dressing right on the plate: There's no need to dirty an extra bowl! Mixing the olive oil, lemon, sumac, mint, and salt directly on your serving plate makes this salad especially easy to throw together.
Add Kalamata olives: For an extra salty, briny bite, add a handful of Greek Kalamata olives.
Adjust to taste: This is one of those recipes where you can—and should—adjust everything to your liking, so consider the measurements in this recipe more like suggestions. Add more lemon for acidity, more olive oil for richness, or extra sumac and dried mint for even more flavor. This is definitely a “measure with your heart” kind of salad.
Use ripe tomatoes: Since the tomatoes are the star of this salad, use the ripest, most flavorful heirloom tomatoes you can find.
Best served immediately: This salad is best enjoyed right after assembling while the tomatoes and cucumbers are fresh and crisp. If left sitting too long, the tomatoes and cucumbers will release liquid and the salad can become watery.