I love green tahini and Israeli produce so much that it inspired this visually stunning and addictive salad. Every time I serve it, it’s absolutely demolished! Just trust me—make a whole batch of green tahini, use half of it to serve alongside bread or crudités, and use the other half as the base of this salad platter.

Almost everything in this salad can be prepared ahead of time, aside from the pita chips. If you want to prepare the salad ingredients the day before serving, either leave the pita chips as the one thing to prepare just before serving, or substitute with store-bought chips.

INGREDIENTS:

For Platter:

• ½ a batch of prepared Green Tahini
• 1 batch homemade pita chips (or 2 cups store-bought – see recipes and note)

For Pita Chips:

• 4 white or whole wheat pitas
• Salt to taste

For Salad:

• 1 bunch (50g – 1 cup) parsley
• 1 bunch (50g – 1 cup) coriander
• 1/2 bunch (25g – ½ cup) fresh mint leaves
• 400g (2 cups) small/baby tomatoes, cut into quarters
• 6 small cucumbers, cut into circles
• 6 radishes, cut into thin rounds
• 4 green onions (scallions), cut into thin rounds
• Pomegranate seeds from one pomegranate
• Fresh lemon juice
• Olive oil
• Flakey sea salt
• Pepper

METHOD:

1. Toast the pita chips: Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Cut the pitas into 8 wedges each, brush with olive oil on both sides, and sprinkle with salt. Bake for 5 minutes on each side or until crisp and golden. Set aside to cool.
2. Prepare the vegetables and herbs: Rinse and dry the parsley, coriander, and mint. Roughly chop or tear them. Prepare the tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes, and green onions as directed.
3. Assemble the platter: Just before serving, spread the green tahini evenly over the bottom of a large serving platter.
4. Layer the salad: Arrange the herbs, vegetables, and pita chips over the tahini. Scatter the pomegranate seeds on top.
5. Dress the salad: Drizzle generously with olive oil and fresh lemon juice. Season with flaky sea salt and black pepper.
6. Serve: Encourage your guests to dig down to the bottom so they get a bit of everything—including the tahini—on their plates.

MAKE AHEAD:

All salad components—herbs, vegetables, and pomegranate seeds—can be washed, chopped, and stored in airtight containers up to 1 day in advance. Green tahini can be made up to 3 days ahead. Toast pita chips within 2 hours of serving for best texture, or substitute store-bought chips if prepping earlier. Assemble the platter just before serving.

I thought I would show off some of the stunning photos by Blake Ezra of this stunning salad!