Tabbouleh (Lebanese Parsley and Bulgur Salad)

July is when I buy parsley by the armful at the farmers market instead of the sad little clamshell from the grocery store, and this is the salad that uses it up. Tabbouleh gets treated in a lot of American kitchens as a grain salad with some parsley scattered in, and I understand why, most of the versions sold in delis here are built that way. The real thing runs the opposite direction entirely.

Authentic tabbouleh is a parsley salad with a little bulgur in it, not the other way around. We are talking a small handful of fine bulgur against several packed cups of finely minced parsley, tomato, and mint, all pulled together with lemon and good olive oil. The parsley should be minced by hand with a sharp knife, not run through a food processor, which bruises it into mush and turns the whole salad gray and watery.

It is one of a few bright summer salads on the blog alongside Fattoush (recipe on the site) and our Salada de Feijão Frade (recipe on the site), and our house has taken to eating it scooped into romaine leaves like little boats, which keeps the kids more interested than a fork ever does.

Tabbouleh Recipe

Prep time: 25 minutes, plus 15 minutes soaking · Cook time: 0 minutes · Total: 40 minutes · Servings: 4 to 6 · Calories: ~150 per serving

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup fine bulgur (#1 grade)
• 4 cups finely chopped flat-leaf parsley, stems removed (about 4 bunches)
• 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh mint
• 3 to 4 ripe tomatoes, finely diced and drained of excess liquid
• 4 to 5 scallions, finely minced, or 1 small onion, finely minced
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• Salt and black pepper, to taste
• Romaine lettuce leaves, to serve

Instructions

1. Soak the bulgur in cold water for 15 to 20 minutes, then drain thoroughly and squeeze out any extra water.
2. Finely mince the parsley and mint by hand. This takes patience but it is worth it for the texture.
3. Dice the tomatoes finely and let them drain in a sieve for a few minutes to avoid a watery salad.
4. Combine the bulgur, parsley, mint, tomato, and scallions in a large bowl.
5. Whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper.
6. Toss the salad with the dressing just before serving.
7. Serve in romaine lettuce leaves or alongside warm pita.

Recipe Notes

• Resist the food processor for the parsley. A sharp knife and a little patience keeps the texture bright and dry instead of mushy.
• This is a parsley salad with a little bulgur, not a grain salad with parsley on top. If your version looks more grain than green, add more parsley.
• Dress the salad right before serving. Dressed too early, the tomatoes and lemon juice turn everything soggy.
• Draining the diced tomato well is a small step that makes a real difference in the final texture.