Best Tabbouleh

Fresh Parsley

Authentic tabbouli uses a ton of parsley.

That’s why this salad is so green! I tried both flat-leaf and curly, and for once, curly is the way to go.

Fresh Mint and Green Onion

Mint is standard and adds even more fresh flavor.

That said, it can be expensive if you don’t grow it at home, so you can skip it if you’d rather. Green onion is my mild onion of choice.

1) Salt your tomato and cucumber, and drain off the excess juice.

Fortunately, this doesn’t take any extra time.

Tomato and cucumber release a lot of moisture when they’re exposed to salt, and will make your tabbouleh way too watery if you do not drain it off. Simply combine the tomato and cucumber in a bowl with some salt (you’ll find these instructions in the recipe below), and set it aside while you chop the parsley.

2) Use lots of parsley and chop it finely.

This recipe calls for three bunches of parsley, and the easiest way to chop that much parsley is in your food processor.

You can do it by hand, but it will take a while. Don’t worry about removing the thin parsley stems—they offer a lot of great flavor.

3) Season sufficiently with lemon juice and salt.

Tabbouleh should be zingy and full of flavor, and you’ll need to use enough lemon and salt to get there.