Plus! How to keep it fresh and crunchy (even when prepping on Thursday and serving on Shabbos).
There are few things we never get tired of. Fresh bread, perfect spring weather, good coffee. Those are a few for me. Also, Israeli salad.
Not sure what it is. Maybe the simplicity of its fresh, genuine ingredients and easy flavors. It’s a salad that is good for you, and never goes out of style. Also, completely in season, year round.

Of course, even within the basic known salad there are many variations. Some will add olives, feta cheese. Other herbs. Some claim that peppers don’t belong here at all. People take the matter very seriously. And I do not pretend to know what a classic Israeli salad really is. I’m only 30% Israeli myself, after all (totally made up percentage, but it’s in that range).

I, for example, like adding the crunch of radishes. They bring freshness and color.
So, we called this a “basic” recipe, but adjust as you want. It’s more about the method here and how to ensure you have a great salad even whilst prepping it in advance.
The first thing I want to tell you is that, like in our famous mango salsa (famous because it made it into Dinner Done, that’s how good it is!) the dice is really important. It literally plays a role in the taste of the salad. Small and even is the way to go. Consistency is key.

Now, I am not so meticulous, nor do I have the best knife skills. That’s where my vegetable chopper comes in: I love how much fun it is to cut salads with this gadget (and no, I am not one that owns gadgets. Not into that. But I do love my vegetable chopper.)
It might be a bit noisy, but my kids know already, this is a Thursday type of music in our house… Mommy prepping the Israeli salad. (Quick Tip: When chopping the pepper, always keep skin side up).

Start chopping your veggies: the trick to keep this salad fresh as if you chopped it just now, but really you did it 2 days ago, is in taking a few minutes to divide the components. It might seem a bit excessive but trust me. It pays off. Line the bottom of your container with a folded piece of paper towel. Do this for the cucumber, the pepper (if using a few colors, you can put those together), and the radishes.

In another container, combine the chopped tomatoes with the onion.

Then, add the dressing: the lemon juice, olive oil, minced garlic, salt and pepper.

You don’t need a paper towel here because it will be wet anyway.

See? All prepped and ready to toss on Shabbos.
Israeli Salad
Ingredients
- 7 Persian cucumbers (those little ones with the thin skin) washed and dried, skin on
- 1-2 bell peppers, cut into 4, stem and seeds discarded
- 8-10 radishes, washed and dried
- 3-4 firm tomatoes (plum work well), washed and dried
- ½ red onion, peeled
- 1 bunch of parsley, washed and checked
- Juice of 1 lemon (fresh is highly recommended)
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 3 tbsp good quality olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Start chopping your veggies: Use small resealable containers. Line the bottom with a folded piece of paper towel. Do this for the cucumber, the pepper (if using a few colors, you can put those together), and the radishes.
- Finally, chop up the tomatoes and onion. The tomatoes don't need the paper towel at the bottom, they will be wetter regardless.
- In another container, combine the chopped tomatoes with the onion. Then, add the dressing: the lemon juice, olive oil, minced garlic, salt and pepper. Mix and taste, make sure it's a bit saltier than you like it, remember that you are adding many vegetables to this.
- Lastly, chop up the parsley. For this, I use a knife and store it separately as well. Mostly because some family members don't like parsley, so we usually prepare two bowls, one with and one without. Personally I need a huge amount of parsley in my salad. But that's me. I might have scarred my children.
- On Shabbos morning, all you have to do is combine all the components. It's even dressed already! One more thing, personally I don't like cold salads. So I like to pull everything out of the fridge early on so that by lunchtime it's at room temperature. Enjoy! I know you will.


This Israeli salad recipe seems simple and flexible, allowing for personal preferences and adjustments. The tip for keeping the vegetables fresh by dividing them into separate containers with paper towels is helpful for prepping in advance. The use of a vegetable chopper can also make the prep process easier. Overall, this recipe looks delicious and worth trying.
How do you dice the tomatoes on the dicer? Mine smash
It makes a big difference if it’s skin side up or down. Looks like BCP recommends skin side up for the peppers.
They also recommend plum tomatoes which apparently are firmer
The chopper happens to be on sale today on amazon!