With warmer weather approaching, many of us are looking to mix up our go-to summer salads. If you’re looking for a dish that’s packed with flavour and texture, try this Lebanese fattoush salad recipe, complete with juicy tomatoes and sweet nectarines…

This Lebanese fattoush salad recipe is a texture bonanza: you’ve got crunch, juiciness and tang. Don’t worry if you don’t have all the ingredients, simply go with whatever you have in your fridge. Many things will work – raw peas, sweetcorn, fennel, pomegranate seeds, celeriac, kohlrabi, broad beans, raw asparagus, pineapple, plums and grapes. Add feta or fried halloumi to make this more substantial.

What is fattoush?

Fattoush is a Middle Eastern salad recipe, traditionally made using tomatoes, cucumbers and other vegetables, along with toasted pitta bread. The resulting dish promises plenty of flavour, crunch and colour!

Lebanese fattoush salad recipe (with tomato and nectarine)

Serves 4

Ingredients:

  • 2 pitta breads or other flatbread, opened up like a book
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 nectarine, not too ripe, de-stoned and chopped
  • 1 cucumber, deseeded and chopped
  • 100g radishes, chopped
  • 350g ripe baby tomatoes, in a mix of colours, halved
  • Handful each of parsley and mint leaves, roughly chopped
  • 3 spring onions, finely sliced
  • 1 tbsp sumac (or extra lemon)
  • Juice of ½ lemon

How to make fattoush salad:

  1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°Cfan/gas mark 6. Lay out the pitta, textured side-up, on a small tray and brush both sides with a tablespoon of oil. Season lightly and place in the oven for 7-10 mins until crisp and light golden. Remove and leave to cool.
  2. Place everything except the 2 tbsp of oil and lemon juice into a big salad bowl.
  3. Break in the crisp pitta, season well, then throw in the sumac, squeeze in the lemon and drizzle over the olive oil. Toss everything well with your hands, then taste and adjust the seasoning according to taste.

Health benefits of tomatoes:

The carotenoids found in tomatoes may help prevent UV damage. A 2006 study found that, over 10-12 weeks, there was a decrease in sensitivity as a result of increasing dietary carotenoids. However, it’s still important to be careful in the sun to avoid UV damage!

Words and images: British Tomato Growers’ Association