Fattoush is a Lebanese bread salad that showcases the summer's bounty. This simple salad uses toasted pita bread instead of croutons. Make sure to add the toasted bread right before serving to ensure that the pita pieces stay crispy.
Note: The lemon dressing makes more than you will need for the salad. Drizzle the extra dressing over roasted vegetables, potatoes, or fish.
Summer Fattoush Salad (Lebanese Summer Salad)
Ingredients
Pitas
2 (8-inch) pitas, torn into bite-sized pieces
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Lemon Dressing
3 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 large garlic clove, pressed or minced
1 teaspoon honey, or to taste
1 teaspoon sumac plus 1/4 teaspoon for garnish
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salad
1 head of Romaine lettuce, chopped into bite-sized pieces
6 ounces fennel bulb, trimmed, quartered, and thinly sliced or shaved (about 1 to 1 1/4 cups), reserving 2 tablespoons fennel fronds for garnish
1 cup hulled strawberries, sliced into bite-sized pieces
1/2 cup fresh blueberries
1 1/4 cups minced red onion
1 tablespoon roughly chopped fresh dill leaves, or to taste
1 tablespoon roughly chopped fresh parsley leaves, or to taste
1 tablespoon roughly chopped fresh mint leaves, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- To make the pitas: Lay the pita pieces on the baking sheet and toss with the olive oil until evenly coated. Bake in the oven until golden brown and crisp, about 12 minutes.
- To make the lemon dressing: In a bowl, combine the lemon juice, garlic, honey, sumac, salt, and pepper until well combined. Add the oil in a slow and steady stream, whisking vigorously until emulsified. Adjust seasoning with additional honey, if desired and salt and pepper to taste.
- To make the salad: In a large bowl combine the lettuce, fennel, strawberries, blueberries, onion, dill, parsley, and mint. Add 1/3 cup of the dressing, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, tossing until well combined. Add the pita pieces, tossing until well combined. Adjust seasonings with additional dressing, if desired, and salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with sprinkles of sumac and fennel fronds on top and around the salad. Serve immediately with the remaining dressing at the table.
This recipe is excerpted from "The Vermont Farm Table Cookbook, 10th Anniversary" by Tracey Medeiros (The Countryman Press, June 2023).
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