Lebanese Recipes – Lebanese Cooking Academy

Fattoush

Fattoush is a Pan-Lebanese bread salad built on contrast: cool, crisp vegetables and herbs; tart sumac and lemon; fruity pomegranate molasses; and dry, crunchy pieces of Lebanese flatbread. The central technique is moisture control—dry the produce thoroughly, toast the bread until crisp, and combine everything only at service.

Prep25 min

Cook8 min

DifficultyBeginner

YieldAbout 1.5 kg, or 6 generous mezze servings

Know what you are cooking

Prepared throughout Lebanon, fattoush varies naturally with household preference and season. Lettuce, tomato, cucumber, radish, scallion, parsley, mint, and toasted or fried Lebanese flatbread are common foundations. Purslane, called ba’leh, is a valued seasonal addition. Some cooks emphasize lemon and sumac, while others add more pomegranate molasses; the dressing should remain distinctly tart rather than sweet.

Serve immediately as part of a Lebanese mezze, beside grilled foods, or as a refreshing first course. Fattoush is especially associated with warm-weather meals and making purposeful use of day-old flatbread.

By the end, you can:

Prepare and dry raw vegetables so the salad remains crisp.
Toast Lebanese flatbread evenly without scorching it.
Balance lemon, sumac, pomegranate molasses, salt, and olive oil into a tart dressing.
Sequence dressing, herbs, and bread correctly so fattoush reaches the table crunchy.

Method

Heat the oven

Heat the oven to 190°C conventional or 180°C fan. Spread the torn flatbread on a rimmed baking tray and toss it with 30 ml olive oil and 1 g of the salt.

Look, smell, feelEvery piece should carry a light sheen of oil without feeling saturated.SafetyUse a dry, stable tray and keep oven handles turned away from walkways.

Toast the bread

Bake for 7–9 minutes, turning once, until the pieces are dry, crisp, and evenly golden. Remove them from the hot tray and cool uncovered.

Look, smell, feelA cooled piece should snap cleanly; pale flexible centers need another minute or two. Do not take the bread to a dark or burnt color.SafetyUse dry oven mitts and protect hands from steam and the hot tray.

Wash and dry the produce

Rinse the vegetables and herbs thoroughly under cool potable running water, checking purslane and herb bunches carefully for soil. Drain and dry in a salad spinner or between clean towels before cutting as directed.

Look, smell, feelLeaves should feel cool and crisp, with no visible grit or beads of water remaining.SafetyWash hands before handling ready-to-eat produce. Do not use soap or household disinfectants on food; discard slimy, moldy, or badly damaged produce.

Mix the dressing

Whisk the lemon juice, 60 ml olive oil, pomegranate molasses, 8 g sumac, remaining 4 g salt, black pepper, and optional garlic until temporarily emulsified. Taste with a piece of cucumber and adjust only if necessary.

Look, smell, feelThe dressing should taste bright and sharply tart, with gentle fruitiness and a dry sumac finish—not syrupy or predominantly sweet.SafetyUse a clean tasting spoon each time; do not return a used spoon to the dressing.

Build the vegetable base

Place the tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, radishes, optional purslane, scallions, parsley, and mint in the large bowl. Toss gently to distribute the herbs without crushing the tomatoes.

Look, smell, feelThe mixture should look dry, loose, and varied, with fresh mint and parsley aromas.SafetyKeep the prepared salad refrigerated at 5°C or colder if it will not be dressed immediately.

Dress and finish

Whisk the dressing again, pour it around the sides of the bowl, and toss gently but thoroughly. Add about three-quarters of the toasted bread and toss twice more. Transfer immediately to a serving platter; top with the remaining bread and 4 g sumac.

Look, smell, feelVegetables should be lightly glossed, herbs aromatic, and bread crisp at the edges while beginning to absorb the tart juices.SafetyServe promptly; do not leave the dressed salad at room temperature for more than 2 hours, or 1 hour when the ambient temperature exceeds 32°C.

Briefly settle and serve

Let the plated fattoush stand for no more than 2 minutes, allowing some bread to catch the dressing while the upper pieces remain crisp. Serve at once.

Look, smell, feelThe ideal bite combines crunchy bread, crisp vegetables, tart dressing, mint, and sumac.SafetyUse clean serving utensils and avoid prolonged warm holding.

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Chef notes

Day-old Lebanese flatbread is advantageous because it dries and crisps evenly. Fresh bread can be used but may need an extra 1–2 minutes in the oven.
Frying the bread is a recognized richer household and restaurant variation. If frying, drain it thoroughly and cool it before adding; do not reuse degraded oil.
Purslane is seasonal and should taste fresh and gently tangy. Use only produce purchased from a reliable food source and identified with certainty.
Pomegranate molasses varies greatly in sweetness and acidity. Preserve the salad’s lemony, sumac-led character rather than compensating with added sugar.
Irregular bread pieces are traditional and provide a useful range of textures: small pieces absorb dressing, while larger pieces stay crisp.

Common mistakes

Adding wet lettuce or herbs, which dilutes the dressing and softens the bread.
Dressing the salad too early; salt draws water from the vegetables and quickly changes the texture.
Using soft, untoasted bread or trapping hot toast under a cover, where steam makes it leathery.
Making the dressing overly sweet with too much pomegranate molasses.
Chopping mint and parsley far in advance, causing bruising and loss of aroma.
Over-tossing after the tomatoes and bread are added, which crushes the vegetables and breaks the bread into crumbs.

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Practical substitutions

If purslane is unavailable, omit it and add 50–80 g more lettuce; do not substitute an unidentified foraged plant.
Tender green leaf lettuce may replace romaine, although it will wilt more quickly.
A mix of scallion and a small quantity of thinly sliced mild Lebanese-style onion may be used according to household preference.
For a gluten-free adaptation, use a certified gluten-free flatbread and verify that the sumac and pomegranate molasses are free from gluten cross-contact; the texture will differ from Lebanese wheat flatbread.
If pomegranate molasses is unusually sweet, reduce it slightly and preserve acidity with lemon juice rather than adding another sweetener.

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Plan and store

Make ahead: Up to 8 hours ahead, wash and thoroughly dry the vegetables and herbs, then refrigerate them separately in covered containers at 5°C or colder. Toast the bread up to 24 hours ahead and keep it completely cool in an airtight container at room temperature. Mix the dressing up to 24 hours ahead and refrigerate; whisk before use. Cut tomatoes and combine the salad only close to service.

Storage: For best quality, store undressed components separately. Refrigerate cut vegetables and dressing at 5°C or colder and use within 24 hours. Store fully cooled toast airtight at room temperature for up to 24 hours. Dressed leftovers should be refrigerated within 2 hours and consumed within 24 hours, though the bread and vegetables will soften substantially. Follow stricter local health guidance where applicable.

Reheating: Do not reheat assembled fattoush. If separately stored bread loses crispness, spread it on a tray and warm at 170°C for 3–5 minutes, then cool before adding to cold vegetables.

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Plate and serve

Mound the dressed vegetables loosely on a wide, shallow platter rather than compressing them in a deep bowl. Distribute the reserved crisp bread over the top and finish with sumac so the red-purple seasoning remains visible.