Middle Eastern recipe

Lebanese Fattoush with Crispy Pita

Name: Lebanese Fattoush with Crispy Pita
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Middle Eastern cuisine
Ingredients: 2 pita breads, torn into bite-size shards; 45 ml olive oil for crisping pita; 250 g romaine lettuce, chopped; 1 English cucumber, seeded and diced; 250 g ripe firm tomatoes, diced; 6 radishes, thinly sliced; 4 green onions, sliced; 30 g flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped; 10 g fresh mint leaves, chopped; 60 ml lemon juice; 5 g sumac; 60 ml extra-virgin olive oil for dressing; 5 g fine salt and black pepper, to taste

Crunchy romaine, cucumber, tomato, radish and herbs are dressed with lemon, sumac and olive oil, then finished with warm crisp pita shards.

Northern Lebanon and the Levant

Prep: 20 min
Cook: 5 min
Total: 25 min
Servings: 6

Levantine fattoush salad with crisp pita, tomatoes, radish and herbs — **Real finished-dish photograph**Photograph by Miansari66Source page · Original file · CC0Cropped, resized, and compressed by Recipe Nest Vault.

Ingredients

2
pita breads, torn into bite-size shards
45 ml
olive oil for crisping pita
250 g
romaine lettuce, chopped
1
English cucumber, seeded and diced
250 g
ripe firm tomatoes, diced
6
radishes, thinly sliced
4
green onions, sliced
30 g
flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped
10 g
fresh mint leaves, chopped
60 ml
lemon juice
5 g
sumac
60 ml
extra-virgin olive oil for dressing
5 g
fine salt and black pepper, to taste

Method

01
Crisp the pita
Tear the pita into shards. Heat the pita oil in a skillet over medium heat, add the bread in one layer, and toast while turning until crisp and golden, about 4 minutes. Drain on a towel and season lightly.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
02
Dry and chop the vegetables
Wash the lettuce and herbs, then dry them thoroughly. Seed the cucumber and tomatoes, dice them, and thinly slice the radishes and green onions.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
03
Whisk the sumac dressing
Whisk lemon juice, olive oil, sumac, salt and black pepper in a small bowl until the dressing looks lightly emulsified.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
04
Toss the fresh salad
Combine lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, radishes, green onions, parsley and mint in a large bowl. Pour over most of the dressing and toss gently so every leaf is coated.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
05
Add pita and serve promptly
Add the crisp pita just before serving so it stays crunchy. Finish with the remaining dressing and a pinch of sumac.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph

Practical notes

Tips

Dry the herbs thoroughly after washing so the lemon dressing clings instead of pooling.
Add toasted pita or bulgur near serving time to preserve its texture.

Common mistakes

Using too much bulgur overwhelms tabbouleh; the herbs should remain the visual and textural focus.
Dressing the salad far ahead wilts herbs and softens crisp pita.

Substitutions

Flat-leaf parsley is traditional for tabbouleh; if using curly parsley, chop it especially finely.
If sumac is unavailable in fattoush, use extra lemon zest and juice for tartness, noting the flavor will differ.

Storage

Keep covered at 0–4°C and use within 4 days. Freeze airtight for longer storage and thaw in the refrigerator.

Cultural context

Fattoush is a Levantine bread salad that makes good use of stale pita. Vegetable combinations and herbs vary by season and household; this version centers crisp pita, chopped produce and sumac-lemon dressing.

Sources and photo credit

This standardized method was independently rewritten after cross-checking the references below. Recipe Nest Vault does not claim that the credited photographer cooked from this exact version.

Recipe references

Fattoush 1.JPG — Photograph by Miansari66; CC0.

Step illustrations: Original illustrations created by Recipe Nest Vault with OpenAI image_gen.

Back to Middle Eastern recipes

Lebanese Fattoush with Crispy Pita

Ingredients

Method

Crisp the pita

Dry and chop the vegetables

Whisk the sumac dressing

Toss the fresh salad

Add pita and serve promptly

Sources and photo credit

Recipe references

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