Red onion and sumac salad

This bright and zingy salad is a pretty traditional Middle Eastern accompaniment and it’s one of our go-to items when we’re writing a new menu. Sumac does a lot of the heavy lifting here – so head over to our BABA Glossary piece on this vibrant spice to find out more.

Not only can it be eaten with just about anything, it’s also speedy (and super simple!) to prepare – you can be ready to go in 10 minutes, or leave the flavours to infuse a little longer.

Chef Tom’s top tip: this salad is really versatile, so there are lots of different dishes you can serve it with. Try it with steak (like in the photo above), spiced roast chicken or halloumi – whether it’s as a side to a main, or to jazz up a filled pitta.

Red onion and sumac salad recipe

Serves 2-4 as a side

INGREDIENTS

4g lemon juice
120g red onions
6g sumac
4g salt
5g flat leaf parsley
40g pomace oil (or regular olive oil)
2g coriander seeds

METHOD

1. Finely slice the red onions and roughly chop the parsley.
2. Toast the coriander seeds in a dry frying pan for a few minutes, then blitz to a rough powder in a spice grinder.
3. In a large bowl, toss the onions with the sumac, coriander, salt and parsley, then dress with the pomace oil and lemon juice.
4. You can store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.