Lebanese Fattoush with Toasted Bread and Sumac
Fattoush is coarsely cut vegetables — cucumber, tomato, radish, lettuce, parsley and mint — with toasted Arabic bread, dressed with olive oil, lemon juice, pomegranate molasses, sumac and garlic. The bread goes in only at the moment of serving so it stays crisp.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 8 min
- Total
- 28 min
- Calories
- 210
Photo: Wikimedia Commons — Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Fattoush and tabbouleh are both Levantine salads, but fattoush is far easier: a coarse chop, a sharp dressing, and toasted bread for crunch. The one mistake people make is adding the bread early, so it goes soft.
Method
-
1
Toast the bread
Cut the bread into squares, brush with a spoon of olive oil, and bake at 200°C for eight minutes until golden and crisp. Or deep-fry it if you want it richer.
⏱ 8 min -
2
Chop the vegetables
Cut everything into fairly large dice — fattoush isn't finely chopped like tabbouleh. Chop the parsley and mint coarsely.
⏱ 12 min -
3
The dressing
Whisk the olive oil with the lemon juice, pomegranate molasses, sumac, crushed garlic and salt until combined.
-
4
Toss and serve
Right before serving: toss the vegetables with the dressing, then add the toasted bread and toss once only. Serve immediately.
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Tips that actually matter
- The bread goes in at the last second — leave it sitting in the dressing and you lose the whole point of fattoush.
- Sumac is what gives the distinctive sourness; without it, it's just a salad.
- Seed the tomatoes if you want the salad to stay dry.
People also ask
What's the difference between fattoush and tabbouleh?
Tabbouleh is built on finely chopped parsley with bulgur; fattoush is coarsely cut vegetables with toasted bread. Both Levantine, completely different dishes.
Can I make it without pomegranate molasses?
Yes — add more lemon juice. But the molasses is what gives Lebanese fattoush its sweet-sour edge.
How long does it keep?
Serve it immediately. To prep ahead, keep the vegetables, dressing and bread separate and combine at the table.
Cook mode
Lebanese Fattoush with Toasted Bread and Sumac
-
1
Toast the bread
Cut the bread into squares, brush with a spoon of olive oil, and bake at 200°C for eight minutes until golden and crisp. Or deep-fry it if you want it richer.
-
2
Chop the vegetables
Cut everything into fairly large dice — fattoush isn't finely chopped like tabbouleh. Chop the parsley and mint coarsely.
-
3
The dressing
Whisk the olive oil with the lemon juice, pomegranate molasses, sumac, crushed garlic and salt until combined.
-
4
Toss and serve
Right before serving: toss the vegetables with the dressing, then add the toasted bread and toss once only. Serve immediately.
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