For the perfect salad, select the ripest produce you can find for your fattoush salad ingredients. Try making it when the majority of the ingredients are in season for optimal results in the end dish. The entire salad is tastiest when made from scratch, which includes the pita chips. You can source store-bought pita chips, but freshly toasted pita chips will give you the best flavor and texture for your salad. In fact, if you’re wondering what a fattoush salad is, it’s actually commonly known as a bread salad, so the inclusion of quality pita bread is vital to the core of the dish. Add the dressing just before you’re ready to serve if you want to make sure the pita bread stays irresistibly crispy.
Sumac is a key ingredient in the salad, made from ground sumac berries, with a unique tart flavor. This brings an authentic Middle Eastern taste to the dish, and is worth searching for at your local grocery store.
Dressing Options and Variations
We’ve shared a simple fattoush salad dressing option in the recipe above, but you can elevate the flavors when serving this dish for a special occasion or hosting friends and family. Pomegranate molasses is a classic addition, contributing a thicker texture and sweet, tangy notes to the salad. You can make pomegranate molasses using fresh pomegranate juice from your local grocery store, or locate a nearby Middle Eastern market to purchase this ready-made. Sumac can also be added to the dressing, as well as the salad ingredients, to amplify this important flavor in the recipe.
How to Plate Fattoush Beautifully
Fattoush is delicious served on your favorite serving platter, with the pita bread scattered throughout the dish. Pita bread is also tasty plated with a helping of fresh hummus. The creamy texture of this popular, Middle Eastern dip, beautifully complements the tangy flavors of a fattoush salad. You can add a bowl of hummus to the center of your platter, so guests can enjoy dipping the pita straight into the hummus. A sprinkle of pomegranate seeds over the top of the salad gives the dish a pleasing visual appearance.
And for more Middle Eastern cooking inspiration, try exploring a world of dishes from Lebanon, such as stuffed eggplant and beef kafta.
