Shepherd’s Salad (Coban Salatasi)
I love Mediterranean food; any time of the day, any number of days, I can just indulge into the wonderful warm flavors of the food. The best part about Mediterranean cooking is that it combines taste, flavors & the health factor all together.
Coban Salatasi or the Shepherd’s Salad is a classic Turkish Salad. The salad does not require any exotic ingredients, is easy to make & is wonderfully refreshing during the summer time. Cucumber, Onion & Tomato combined together with some salt & lemon juice & cilantro is probably the most common salad we would have almost everyday with our meals while growing up. Just for the sake of nostalgia, I like to make this salad ever so often now; but I do it the Mediterranean way a lot of times. I like the warmth of the Olive Oil & with some Feta Cheese to top the salad, it often makes a delicious bowl of lunch for me.
Shepherd’s Salad (Coban Salatasi)
Ingredients:
- 1 Big Tomatoes, chopped into small pieces
- 1 English Cucumber(Remove seeds in you are using big cucumbers), chopped into small pieces
- 2 Hot Green Chili Peppers, very thinly sliced (May be replaced with bell peppers)
- 1 Small Red Onion
- 1 Cup Flat Leaf Italian Parsley, chopped
- Few Fresh Mint Leaves
- Feta Cheese (Optional)
- 2-3 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1.5 Tablespoons Lemon or Vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons Very Lightly Toasted Sesame Seeds (Optional)
- Salt & Pepper
Preparation:Try to chop/dice all the veggies in small & equal size.
Chop the onions into small pieces. and grind it with the palm of your hand and with some salt, then drain and rinse it. This is known to take the “bitterness” out of the onions.
Combine onions, diced cucumbers & tomatoes, sliced peppers and chopped parsley & mint.
Whisk the Olive Oil, Lemon (Or Vinegar), Salt & Pepper & pour on to the salad & toss well.
I usually let the salad sit in the refrigerator for a couple of hours for the flavors to infuse really well.
Garnish with feta cheese if you want. Lightly toast the sesame seeds & sprinkle on the salad before serving.
The Salad may be served with some flat bread, like Lavash or Pita; use the bread to scoop up some salad & the juice. Lisa is hosting the No Croutons Required, the theme being Mediterranean Soup or Salad. Sending this simple Shepherd’s Salad to No Croutons Required.
Related Posts:
Summer Salad with Citrus, Lavender Dressing
Tags: choban, coban, cucumber salad, easy salad, eggless recipe, feta cheese, gluten free, Lemon, mediterannean recipe, mediterranean food, mediterranean salad, mediterranean salad recipe, meze, olive oil dressing, onion, parsley, popular turkish salad, promise of summer, quick salad, refreshing summer salad, Salad, salatasi, summer salad, summer salad recipe, taste of turkey, toasted sesame in salad, tomato salad, turkey, turkish, turkish recipe, turkish salad, turkish shepherd's salad
September 11th, 2009 at 5:29 am
Wow great salad.I too was thinking of Turkish only when the theme was announced.Looks great and very healthy and simple to make Soma.Great Job.
September 11th, 2009 at 6:20 am
WOW! I love the colour. Good Shot!
September 11th, 2009 at 6:39 am
wow, me too make this salad, but didn’t know turkish also make same way as we do
September 11th, 2009 at 7:30 am
Delicious and Colorful Salad there, looks lovely!
September 11th, 2009 at 7:37 am
Lovely salad and lovely click.
September 11th, 2009 at 8:21 am
Just my kind of salad! make this often and even now have all the ingredients at home.
September 11th, 2009 at 8:51 am
hey soma,
Salad looks perfect and bright! love this kinda food..direct good health
snaps dekhke dil khush ho gaya
September 11th, 2009 at 8:57 am
Looks so simple, yet I’m sure it packs a punch. Wow – those chilli peppers must be a kick. I LOVE Mediterranean food too – they really nailed tasty and healthy!
September 11th, 2009 at 10:19 am
very beautiful…lots of freshness too!
September 11th, 2009 at 11:03 am
Bowl of goodness and very fresh looking!
September 11th, 2009 at 11:20 am
This salad sounds delicious! The feta and sesame seeds on top look great!
September 11th, 2009 at 3:08 pm
thats really a refereshing salad. Loved the cheese on it!!
September 11th, 2009 at 4:34 pm
That looks incredibly fresh and beautiful! I always find adding things like cheese to a salad means that even the vegetable fearing among us love a salad and feta would give such a nice salty flavour
September 11th, 2009 at 4:41 pm
Looks lovely. This is one of my favorite salads though I have never made it at home. I need to.
September 11th, 2009 at 6:43 pm
This looks wonderful! So fresh and vibrant. I know what’s for lunch tomorrow!
September 11th, 2009 at 9:41 pm
The colors of this salad are so beautiful, it’s a feast for the eyes as well as the stomach. I love your artistic eye for food presentation, Soma– you make everything look so good!
September 12th, 2009 at 6:08 am
That looks beautiful and delicious!!!! I love all the colors.
September 12th, 2009 at 6:19 am
That salad looks delicious & colorful.
September 12th, 2009 at 6:44 am
The colors are really good!Looks delicious, Soma!
September 12th, 2009 at 9:05 am
What a fresh, colourful salad! Amar salader songe shob somoye mangshor jholer sugondhor kotha mone pore.
September 12th, 2009 at 10:34 am
A delicious & colorful salad, sounds great with feta on top!
September 12th, 2009 at 11:11 am
I love Mediterranean food too! The flavours and textures are so wonderful!
September 12th, 2009 at 11:49 am
It’s great salad. We cook the same in Egypt too. I’d like to add soy sauce too.
September 12th, 2009 at 3:07 pm
great looking salad and I like the way how it is cut into small pieces.
September 12th, 2009 at 3:47 pm
I love coban salatasi. It’s a great companion for meat dishes and fish. In fact, it’s served with any kind of dish at restaurants here, in Turkey. If you have a high quality olive oil to add, this salad gets just perfect! Your salad here looks so colorful and appealing.
September 12th, 2009 at 11:39 pm
I am a sucker for feta and I am loving those green chilies on top of that salad!
September 13th, 2009 at 1:26 am
wow!! love ye salad!1 and t\love the beautiful color!
love to add some mayo 
September 13th, 2009 at 2:32 am
Lovely salad. looks really colourful and delicious
September 13th, 2009 at 2:34 am
Colorful, delicious and easy to make! Great combination!
September 13th, 2009 at 3:26 am
Salad looks and sounds good,sure it will taste great Soma!
September 13th, 2009 at 7:38 am
Love the simple flavours of this salad. Looks like the sort of salads we make here in India.
September 13th, 2009 at 12:07 pm
Looks beautiful!
September 13th, 2009 at 12:48 pm
The click here is awesome…. Very simple and ez
September 13th, 2009 at 1:25 pm
brillian picture.. love how colourful it looks…
September 13th, 2009 at 6:44 pm
Beautiful picture, love the colors in the salad.
September 13th, 2009 at 8:55 pm
Though not a big salad lover,with Feta I am sure I’ll love this..:)
September 13th, 2009 at 8:58 pm
Lovely and healthy salad!
September 14th, 2009 at 1:21 am
A fresh and colourful salad! I love it!!!! So light and healthy… there’s nothing better for summer days
September 14th, 2009 at 7:31 am
Thank you folks for taking your time.. for this simple salad:-D
September 14th, 2009 at 6:24 pm
Another great Turkish recipe… This is one of my favorite salads. It’s so light and colorful, I could eat it every day. I’ve never had it with sesame seeds; that’s an interesting addition. I should give it a try.
September 16th, 2009 at 9:12 am
My journey with Turkish food started with Dolma..and then on, I am a regular visitor of Turkish resturants ! Thanks a ton for adding this recipie !! Now, I ca try Turkish salad, in the luxury of my own kitchen !!
September 16th, 2009 at 4:06 pm
soo healthy and simple.. yummm
September 25th, 2009 at 4:14 am
You have definitely featured the best of the Mediterranean world in this salad, with the feta cheese and all of the herbs. Yum!
October 11th, 2009 at 3:31 am
How I love this salad – I always order it when we dine at our favorite Turkish restaurant. Now I want to snag the last of the good tomatoes (still around here and there) so I can recreate *your* recipe. Adding those tiny bits of zingy green chiles is a great touch, Soma.