Avocado Fattoush With Mint Vinaigrette

Avocado Fattoush With Mint Vinaigrette
Karsten Moran for The New York Times
Total Time
30 minutes
Rating
5(157)
Notes
Read community notes

The crunchy, juicy salad known in the Middle East as fattoush is just one of the region’s many thrifty and tasty uses for day-old or dried-out bread. Stale bread is better than fresh for some dishes because it will absorb more liquid, such as the juices from a ripe tomato or — in this recipe — a lively dressing with mint leaves, lemon juice and a bit of honey to smooth out the flavors. The Israeli-American chef Einat Admony, who created this rewrite of the classic, took the radical step of leaving out the tomato and adding avocado, a very American ingredient.

To make the bread shards very crisp, toast and let cool before breaking. To make them more luxurious, tear up the bread and toast it in a hot skillet with a few tablespoons of olive oil, butter, or both. —Julia Moskin

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

    For the Vinaigrette

    • ¼cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
    • ½teaspoon Dijon mustard
    • teaspoons honey
    • ¼teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste
    • ½teaspoon chopped shallot or ½ small garlic clove
    • ½cup grapeseed or extra-virgin olive oil
    • 8 to 10fresh mint leaves

    For the Salad

    • 1pita bread or other flatbread such as lavash, preferably slightly stale
    • 2mini seedless cucumbers (also called Persian cucumbers), chilled
    • 1Hass avocado, ripe but firm, chilled
    • ½cup roughly chopped fresh mint leaves
    • ½cup roughly chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
    • 2large handfuls (a scant 2 ounces) arugula
    • 2large handfuls (a scant 2 ounces) watercress
    • ½cup crumbled feta cheese
    • ¼teaspoon sumac
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

439 calories; 39 grams fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 26 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 20 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 5 grams sugars; 6 grams protein; 394 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Make the vinaigrette: In a blender, combine the lemon juice, mustard, honey, ¼ teaspoon salt and shallots or garlic. Blend until smooth. With the machine running, slowly pour in the oil and blend until mixture is emulsified. Add mint leaves and blend very briefly, just until incorporated. Refrigerate until ready to serve, up to 1 day.

  2. Step 2

    Make the salad: If using pita, separate the two layers. Toast bread until crunchy, let cool, then break into rough bite-size pieces. Set aside. Cut chilled cucumbers in half lengthwise and turn cut sides down. Cut crosswise into slices ¼-inch thick. Peel and pit the chilled avocado and cut into ½-inch cubes. Combine cucumber and avocado in a salad bowl. Add the mint, parsley, arugula and watercress.

  3. Step 3

    Pour in about ¼ cup of the vinaigrette and toss gently. Taste, then add more dressing and salt as needed. (Save unused dressing for future use.) Sprinkle feta over the top, then add the sumac and bread. Serve immediately.

Ratings

5 out of 5
157 user ratings
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Private Notes

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Cooking Notes

Traditional Fattoush is a very simple Lebanese salad that uses very basic ingredients, mint, parsley, tomato, cucumber,and toasted pita bread. The dressing is equally pure and underscores the simplicity of the dish. It is made from olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, sumac, mint and salt. A tip on toasting the Pita, dip the pieces in olive oil and bake at a low temperature, in a tin with a rack. It comes out perfectly baked, and crunchy every time. This is more a Mediterranean Inspired salad.

This was delicious. Avocado needs to be chilled or it'll just get mushy. I added blistered grape tomatoes and used naan bread made crispy. For making the dressing, I used an immersion blender in a tall container because it is easier to clean and store the leftover dressing in the container.

The base salad is delicious but I wasn't as huge of a fan of the dressing. I'd recommend olive oil, lime juice, dried mint, garlic and a bit of aleppo pepper.

Really yummy! The store didn't have watercress so I had to improvise but everything else went according to plan. I too used pita chips (not super salty ones) and that made it a bit quicker. The dressing is really great and definitely don't skip the sumac.

Pomegranate molasses is key to a good dressing. I'm Lebanese, and looking forward to try this, but with pomegranate molasses, no honey, some radishes, and other variations to this. Very good tips on the bread, though.

Delicious, creative salad! I cheated and used pita chips, which turned out to be a good substitute.

This may be my favorite salad ever!!! I crave it. I will admit to not making the dressing as written (use a basic vin for 2 servings: 1 teaspoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon sherry vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon maple syrup, salt, pepper). It's really the combination of greens and herbs that makes this.

Good way to satisfy a craving for fatoosh when tomatoes are out of season. Unlike the purists, I thought the dressing was absolutely delicious. Little gems also good in this in place of or in addition to the arugula and watercress.

Delicious. Pandemic cooking, so I couldn’t run to the store and buy sumac which I’m sure greatly enhances flavor. And no watercress, so I used a handful of mixed lettuces. I toasted and used plain flour tortillas as also I had no pita. Otherwise followed recipe exactly and had it with a bought, all chicken pie. All was perfect at the dinner table tonight. Many thanks!

Pomegranate molasses for sure! I used mint flecked Halloumi instead of feta because that’s what I had on hand. Threw on some leftover steamed green beans and chopped Romas. Put a disk of tanour Lebanese bread in oven to dry, then broke apart. Lots of mint. Next time I’d like to add watercress. This is a winner.

I used all arugula and was very pleased. If you happen to love mint in the summertime, you might consider making it a "tightly packed" 1/2 cup in the salad like I did.

Thank you, Hassan, for the pomegranate molasses tip. We're overrun with mint, parsley and arugula in our garden, so this recipe sure tasted like summer. (No cokes yet, though.) A keeper.

Pomegranate molasses is key to a good dressing. I'm Lebanese, and looking forward to try this, but with pomegranate molasses, no honey, some radishes, and other variations to this. Very good tips on the bread, though.

Haven't tried this yet, but the honey and mustard dressing sounds far too aggressive. I'll be doing it with lemon juice, olive oil, and a dash of pomegranate molasses. I'll try to avoid throwing in a couple of ripe Italian tomatoes, but I can't promise...

Yum! I made this for dinner for my husband and I and halved the recipe which was just perfect. I baked the pita per Bill's comment - wonderfully crunchy. I put the dressing in a jar and shook it - easy and very tasty.

Added some sesame seeds when tossing with the dressing and topped with walnuts as well to give a little more oomph.

Delicious, creative salad! I cheated and used pita chips, which turned out to be a good substitute.

The base salad is delicious but I wasn't as huge of a fan of the dressing. I'd recommend olive oil, lime juice, dried mint, garlic and a bit of aleppo pepper.

Traditional Fattoush is a very simple Lebanese salad that uses very basic ingredients, mint, parsley, tomato, cucumber,and toasted pita bread. The dressing is equally pure and underscores the simplicity of the dish. It is made from olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, sumac, mint and salt. A tip on toasting the Pita, dip the pieces in olive oil and bake at a low temperature, in a tin with a rack. It comes out perfectly baked, and crunchy every time. This is more a Mediterranean Inspired salad.

This was delicious. Avocado needs to be chilled or it'll just get mushy. I added blistered grape tomatoes and used naan bread made crispy. For making the dressing, I used an immersion blender in a tall container because it is easier to clean and store the leftover dressing in the container.

Really yummy! The store didn't have watercress so I had to improvise but everything else went according to plan. I too used pita chips (not super salty ones) and that made it a bit quicker. The dressing is really great and definitely don't skip the sumac.

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Credits

Adapted from Einat Admony, Bar Bolonat, New York

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