Tomato Salad With Turkish Tahini Dressing

By Martha Rose Shulman

Published October 22, 2009

  • Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
About 10 minutes
Rating
4(99)
Comments
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If tomatoes are unavailable, use this popular Turkish dressing with steamed vegetables or a green salad.

Featured in: Tahini: The Taste of Healthy Middle Eastern Cuisine

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Ingredients

Yield:Serves four to six (the recipe makes about ⅔ cup dressing)

  • 1 ½ pounds tomatoes, or a mixture of red and green tomatoes, cored and sliced

  • 4 tablespoons sesame tahini

  • ⅓ cup water

  • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

  • 1 to 2 garlic cloves

  • Salt to taste

  • ½ teaspoon cumin seeds, lightly toasted and ground

  • Freshly ground pepper or Aleppo pepper to taste

  • 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 to 6 servings)

11 grams carbs; 101 calories; 2 grams monosaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 6 grams fat; 4 grams fiber; 344 milligrams sodium; 4 grams protein; 5 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Arrange the sliced tomatoes on a platter.

  2. Step 2

    Mix together the tahini, water and lemon juice. Combine the garlic with ¼ teaspoon salt in a mortar and pestle, and mash to a paste. Stir into the tahini mixture. Add the cumin, then salt and pepper (or Aleppo pepper) to taste. Thin out with water if the dressing is too thick to pour. Drizzle over the sliced tomatoes, sprinkle on the parsley and serve.

Tip

  • Advance preparation: The dressing will be good for a couple of days in the refrigerator, but it will thicken and become more pungent. Thin out with water as desired.Martha Rose Shulman can be reached at martha-rose-shulman.com.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
99 user ratings
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Comments

Ellen

Terrific sauce for a raw vegetable salad -- tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes and onion, for instance. Or add to a sandwich in a pita.

Yvette

Tasty. Made with new squeeze bottle tahini. Made it easier but it was thinner than regular tahini so should start with less water.

Mary Richter

It was too watered down because I used Trader Joe's tahini which is very creamy. Next time I'll use more tahini and less water or another more concentrated brand of tahini. I liked the taste.

H.E.

The dressing is beyond delicious! Worth the time to toast and bring the cumin seeds.

Chantel

I agree with the others, the tahini needs way less water and more lemon or garlic. I did use some crusty bread to sop up the wet dressing and it was really good!

Kathryn

Not strong enough, instead of water, use lemon juice to thin it? More Garlic?

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