Lebanese Fattoush Salad

Fattoush is the Levant's answer to a leftover-bread salad: crisp toasted pita tumbled through crunchy vegetables, masses of fresh herbs and a lemony, sumac-spiked dressing. It's fresh, sharp and full of texture. Serve it alongside grilled meats, mezze or a bowl of hummus.

Fattoush turns stale flatbread into the best part of the salad. The pita is torn and toasted until shatteringly crisp, then folded through crunchy cucumber, tomatoes, radishes and a small forest of parsley and mint. Sumac gives it that unmistakable lemony, faintly berry-sour edge, and a good glug of olive oil pulls it together. Add the bread last so it keeps its snap.

Ingredients

• 2 pita or khubz flatbreads — day-old is ideal
• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil — plus extra for toasting
• 1 baby gem or romaine lettuce — roughly chopped
• 1 cucumber — quartered lengthways and sliced
• 300 g ripe tomatoes — cut into wedges
• 6 radishes — thinly sliced
• 4 spring onions — sliced
• 20 g flat-leaf parsley — leaves and fine stalks, chopped
• 15 g fresh mint — leaves torn
• 1½ tbsp sumac — plus extra to finish
• 1 lemon — juiced, about 3 tbsp
• 1 garlic clove — crushed
• 1 tsp pomegranate molasses — optional, for depth

Method

1. Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Tear the pita into rough bite-sized pieces, spread on a baking tray, drizzle with a little olive oil and a pinch of salt, and toss to coat.
2. Bake for 8-10 minutes, turning once, until deeply golden and crisp all the way through. Set aside to cool; they'll crisp further as they sit.
3. Make the dressing: whisk the lemon juice, 4 tbsp olive oil, crushed garlic, sumac, pomegranate molasses if using, and a good pinch of salt in a small bowl until glossy. Taste and sharpen with more lemon if you like.
4. Put the lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, radishes and spring onions into a large bowl. Season lightly with salt to draw out the flavour.
5. Add the parsley and mint, keeping a little back to scatter over at the end.
6. Pour over the dressing and toss gently but thoroughly so everything is coated and the sumac is evenly distributed.
7. Just before serving, add the crisp pita and fold through once or twice so it stays crunchy. Tip onto a platter.
8. Finish with the reserved herbs and an extra dusting of sumac. Serve straight away, while the bread still has its snap.

Serve it with

• Grilled lamb or chicken shish
• Hummus and warm flatbread
• Chargrilled halloumi
• Lamb kofta
• Baba ganoush

Why this works

Salting the vegetables and dressing them separately keeps the pita crisp, while sumac and lemon deliver a double hit of clean acidity that balances the rich olive oil.

Common swaps

• No sumac? Use extra lemon zest and a squeeze more juice for similar brightness.
• Swap pita for any leftover flatbread, sourdough or even crushed pita chips.
• Pomegranate molasses missing? A tiny drizzle of honey with extra lemon does the job.
• Use purslane or watercress in place of some lettuce for a peppery, traditional touch.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Adding the pita too early so it goes soggy — always fold it in at the last moment.
• Under-toasting the bread; it needs to be properly crisp, not just warmed.
• Skimping on herbs — parsley and mint should be a major component, not a garnish.
• Over-dressing before serving, which wilts the leaves and drowns the crunch.

Storage, freezing & reheating

Storage: Best eaten fresh. Undressed vegetables keep in the fridge for a day; store toasted pita and dressing separately and combine just before serving.

Allergen notes: contains Gluten. Always check individual product labels.

Estimated nutrition

Per serving, estimated from typical ingredient values — not a substitute for precise dietary calculation.