Ezme Salad – Bold Turkish Tomato Salad with Aleppo Pepper

Bowl of Turkish ezme salad in a black plate sitting on a wooden board with Lebanese bread, truss tomatoes and aleppo pepper on the side.

Ezme Salad – Bold Turkish Tomato Salad with Aleppo Pepper

Ezme salad is a bold Turkish tomato salad with capsicum, herbs, pomegranate molasses and Aleppo pepper. No cook, ready in 15 minutes and packed with flavour.

Course Salad

Cuisine Middle Eastern

Diet Gluten Free, Low Fat, Low Lactose, Vegan, Vegetarian

Dietary Egg Free, Nut Free, Plant-Based

Prep Time 15

Total Time 15

Servings people

Calories 116kcal

Author Amy Chung

Ingredients

Salad

½ capsicum red, roughly chopped
½ capsicum green, roughly chopped
1 red onion medium, roughly chopped
¼ cup flat leaf parsley roughly chopped
1 tbsp mint roughly chopped
200 g tomatoes roughly chopped

Salad Dressing

1 tbsp Salçasi Middle Eastern tomato paste
1 garlic clove minced
1 tbsp pomegranate molasses
½ lemon juiced
1 tsp sumac
1 tbsp Aleppo pepper flakes
salt to taste
2 tbsp olive oil

Instructions

Salad

In a food processor, add all salad ingredients except the tomatoes.
Pulse the ingredients. You want it chopped, not pureed.
On a large chopping board, chop the tomatoes well.
Slowly add ingredients from the food processor and chop together.
You’re after a chunky dip-like consistency.

Salad Dressing

In a mixing bowl, add all ingredients except olive oil.
Mix ingredients and keep stirring as you drizzle the olive oil in slowly. This will help to emulsify the dressing properly.

Assembly

Add the chopped salad ingredients into the dressing mixing bowl.
Mix until well combined.
Serve

Notes

Variations And Substitutions

No salçası? Use a good quality double-concentrated tomato paste as a substitute. Add a tiny pinch of Aleppo pepper or dried chilli to the paste to approximate some of the depth. The flavour will be simpler but still good.
No Aleppo pepper? Standard chilli flakes will work at a pinch, but use half the quantity as they are significantly hotter and less fruity. Smoked paprika mixed with a small amount of chilli flakes is a closer approximation to the Aleppo pepper flavour profile.
Adjust the heat: One tablespoon of Aleppo pepper gives a medium warmth. Reduce to half a tbsp for a milder version. Increase for more heat. Worth noting that acılı ezme literally means "spicy ezme" in Turkish, so don't be afraid to go bold.
No food processor? Fine-chop all the vegetables by hand on a large chopping board. It takes longer, but the result is similar. The goal is a finely chopped, almost crushed consistency, not a puree.
Serve it as a dip: Ezme works beautifully as a dip with warm pita or flatbread. It is a staple of Turkish mezze spreads alongside hummus and baba ghanoush.
Add walnuts: Some regional versions of ezme include finely chopped toasted walnuts for extra texture and nuttiness. Stir through just before serving.
Serve as a sauce: Spoon it over grilled lamb, chicken, or beef as a fresh, punchy sauce. It pairs especially well with our Sides for Lamb collection.

How to Make This Salad Perfectly [Expert Tips]

Pulse, don't puree: The food processor is a tool here, not a blender. You want the vegetables finely chopped with some texture remaining. Pulse in short bursts and check frequently. Over-processing turns everything into a wet mush that will not hold the dressing properly.
Chop the tomatoes by hand, separately: This is not a step to skip. Tomatoes processed in a food processor release too much liquid and lose all their texture. Chopping them on a board and then combining with the other vegetables gives you the chunky, defined pieces that are characteristic of a great ezme salatası.
Drain excess liquid if needed: After chopping and mixing, if the vegetables have released a lot of moisture, tip everything into a fine mesh sieve and let it drain for a minute or two before adding the dressing. This keeps the ezme from becoming watery.
Emulsify the dressing properly: Drizzle the olive oil in slowly while stirring constantly. A properly emulsified dressing coats every piece of vegetable evenly and gives the ezme its glossy, cohesive appearance.
Let it rest if you can: Even 15–20 minutes of resting time allows the flavours to meld and deepen significantly. The vegetables continue to release their juices into the dressing and the whole dish becomes more cohesive. If you are making it ahead, cover and refrigerate and give it a stir before serving.
Use the best tomatoes available: This is a raw tomato dish so the flavour of the tomatoes is front and centre. Ripe, flavourful tomatoes make this recipe sing. Out-of-season, watery supermarket tomatoes will make it flat. If tomatoes are not at their best, use good quality canned whole tomatoes, drained and hand-chopped.

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