Mediterranean tomato cucumber salad recipe

This Mediterranean tomato cucumber salad with artichokes, lemon, and olives is the perfect summer side or light lunch. It is a flavorful and refreshing side to grilled fish or chicken. Or, if you’re like me, a tasty afternoon nibble when you just need “a little something”.

I’ll give you variations and substitutions where I can, plus helpful tips and tricks for success. Read on for this info as well as the recipe. If you’d like to skip straight to the recipe, use the jump to recipe button at the top of the post.

You may also be interested in my summer grain salad and my cranberry apple quinoa salad recipes. For ease of browsing, you can find all of my salad recipes in one place.

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Mediterranean tomato cucumber salad

This Mediterranean salad made with ripe heirloom tomatoes, seedless English cucumber, kalamata olives, and marinated artichokes is full of crunch and flavor.

The olives give it a salty bite and the paper thin slices of lemon provide plenty of zing. It is a delicious way to make sure you’re getting enough vegetables in your diet.

What you need to know

If you want to make this salad ahead of time, here’s a helpful tip: don’t add the herbs. The lemon juice will cause them to lose their bright green color. Instead, fold them in shortly before serving. That way, they’ll retain their color and texture.

For those who have a garden, this salad is a great way to use up your end of summer bounty. As summer starts to wind down, tomatoes and cucumbers are plentiful; and this salad celebrates all the flavors of the season.

Try to use a variety of tomatoes, as they each have slightly different flavors and textures. The mix of colors will also make it more visually appealing.

Ingredients

This Mediterranean cucumber salad is refreshing and loaded with flavor from herbs, lemon and artichokes.

• Tomatoes – I like heirloom grape tomatoes for this salad. The mix of colors and sizes is nice here. Use whatever tomatoes you prefer.
• Cucumber – English cucumber is my go-to. They do not have a middle full of seeds like regular cucumbers, and the skin is much thinner, and not bitter.
  • Substitution: If you have regular cucumbers on hand, use them.
• Artichokes – I prefer marinated artichokes. Artichokes packed in water have almost no flavor, the same can be said for frozen artichokes.
• Olives – Again, use a mix, if you can. I used Kalamata, Arbequina & Castelvetranos.
• Lemon – Paper thin slices of lemon give this Mediterranean tomato cucumber salad zingy citrus flavor.
• Olive oil – When tossed with the lemon/lemon juice, it will create a light dressing for the vegetables.
• Herbs – I tend to go heavy on herbs, because I love them. Thyme, parsley, chives and rosemary are my picks.

How to make

Here’s a quick summary of how to make Mediterranean tomato cucumber salad. Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full recipe. 

1. Prep all of the vegetables – Slice cucumbers and tomatoes. Chop the herbs, and slice the olives.
2. Mix everything together in a medium mixing bowl, except the herbs.
3. Marinate – Let the salad sit for about 15 minutes to let the vegetables soak up some of the dressing. Then, add herbs and stir to combine before serving.

Mediterranean tomato cucumber salad FAQ’s

Variations and substitutions

Try a few of these additions to your cucumber artichoke salad!

• Cheesy – Add some salty feta cheese or creamy goat cheese for extra flavor.
• Avocado – Toss in diced avocado for a delicious addition.
• Chickpeas – Get some plant-based protein with the addition of chickpeas. Plus, they add nice texture.
• Corn – The end of summer is when sweet corn is at its best. Cut the kernels off the cob and toss them in for a bit of crunch and sweetness. Save the cobs for another use.

Mediterranean side dishes

• Mediterranean quinoa salad
• Fregula with mushrooms
• Roasted eggplant caponata

Helpful tools and equipment

Chef’s knife – This is, without a doubt the most important tool in your kitchen. Invest in a good knife, and you’ll have it forever. This is the exact knife I own, and have used almost daily, for over 20 years.

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Originally published 9/2/18. Most recent update 7/17/24.

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