Barbecued tomato salad recipe

This flavoursome barbecued tomato salad is a traditional Palestinian recipe

(Image credit: Ashley Lima)

published 24 May 2024

While kebabs, lamp chops, pork chops and chicken skewers might spring to mind when you think of a barbecue, whole small onions, tomatoes and chilli peppers can also be used. If you're looking for the best way to manage a barbecue, Fadi Kattan suggests starting off with things like sujuk sausages (spicy, dry fermented sausages), then move to chicken, lamb, and vegetables. This tomato salad is the ideal accompaniment to whatever you have on the barbecue.

Ingredients

700 g / ½ pound ripe tomatoes
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1½ teaspoons dried zaatar leaves, chopped
½ teaspoon coarse sea salt
2 tablespoons fresh spearmint leaves, chopped
1 tablespoon peppermint leaves, chopped
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon crumbled laban jameed

Method

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Prepare a gas or charcoal fire in the barbecue to be flaming hot.
In a bowl, toss the tomatoes with the olive oil, zaatar leaves, and salt. Place the tomatoes directly on the barbecue grill. Reserve the oil remaining in the bowl.
Turn the tomatoes on the grill, until they are nicely charred on all sides; this should take about 3 minutes. Move the tomatoes to the higher shelf of the barbecue or to the side of the barbecue away from the direct heat if a shelf isn't available. Cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, until cooked through without charring more. Remove from the heat.
Add both types of mint to the flavoured oil that remains in the bowl. Add the lemon juice and mix well.
Cut the cooked tomatoes into quarters with a very sharp knife so they're not damaged or squashed and transfer to a serving dish. Drizzle the herbed oil on top.
Sprinkle the laban jameed on top to finish.

Taken from Bethlehem: A Celebration of Palestinian Food by Fadi Kattan, available now

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Rebekah Evans joined The Week as newsletter editor in 2023 and has written on subjects ranging from Ukraine and Afghanistan to fast fashion and "brotox". She started her career at Reach plc, where she cut her teeth on news, before pivoting into personal finance at the height of the pandemic and cost-of-living crisis. Social affairs is another of her passions, and she has interviewed people from across the world and from all walks of life. Rebekah completed an NCTJ with the Press Association and has written for publications including The Guardian, The Week magazine, the Press Association and local newspapers.