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    Home » Salads » Mevsim Salatasi (Turkish Season Salad)

    Published: Dec 19, 2024 by Zerrin & Yusuf

    Mevsim Salatasi (Turkish Season Salad)

    Jump to Recipe

    Mevsim Salatasi (Turkish Season Salad) is a quick and refreshing mix of crisp lettuce, purple cabbage, parsley, and carrot, tossed in a tangy lemon-olive oil dressing. Perfect as a light side dish or a colorful addition to any meal!

    Lettuce salad with red cabbage and carrot in a white bowl and wooden spoons inside it.

    A Staple Salad in Turkish Cuisine

    Mevsim Salatasi, often referred to as Turkish green salad or lettuce salad, is a staple in Turkish cuisine and a common addition to everyday meals.

    It can also be found at any local restaurant called esnaf lokantası, which serve traditional home-style food.

    It’s one of the most popular salads in Turkey, alongside Çoban Salatası (Shepherd’s Salad). While Çoban Salatası is typically enjoyed in the summer due to its use of seasonal tomatoes and cucumbers, Mevsim Salatası is more common during the winter months when ingredients like lettuce, cabbage, and carrots are at their best.

    Mevsim Salatasi pairs beautifully with any main dish, from kebabs to hearty stews known as güveç.

    About The Ingredients

    This recipe features the basic and most common version of Mevsim Salatası. The ingredients are divided into two categories: the salad base and the dressing.

    Half red cabbage, a head of lettuce, a carrot, a lemon, a bunch of parsley, pomegranate molasses, salt and olive oil photographed from top view.

    Salad Ingredients

    Lettuce: It is the main ingredient. In Turkish, it’s called marul, and any type works well. We use Romaine lettuce, but you can also use butterhead lettuce, little gems, Turkish kıvırcık marul (curly lettuce), or iceberg lettuce. Just chop it roughly for a nice texture.

    Purple Cabbage (Red Cabbage): Thinly slice the purple cabbage to add a beautiful color and crunch to the salad. It’s never substituted with white cabbage.

    We also need carrot and parsley. 

    Dressing Ingredients

    The dressing for Mevsim Salatası is a classic Turkish salad sauce: Lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil and salt.

    Pomegranate molasses is optional as it might not be something you always have. But we do recommend it. It is like a hidden treasure in Turkish kitchens. It adds a hint of sweetness and a tangy depth to the salad. 

    We’re lucky to always have it on hand, thanks to Zerrin’s aunt, who makes it using pomegranates from her own yard and shares a large bottle with us every year.

    If you don’t have pomegranate molasses, that’s perfectly fine! The salad will still taste delicious with just the basic dressing.

    But if you’re feeling adventurous, you can try making your own with our homemade pomegranate molasses recipe.

    You can also add a sprinkle of sumac in the dressing if you’re a fan of its tangy flavor—just like we do in our pomegranate molasses salad dressing.

    How to Make Mevsim Salatası

    Making Mevsim Salata is as simple as chopping a few fresh vegetables and tossing them with a light dressing. 

    A collage of four pictures showing the steps of making Turkish mevsim salatasi.

    How you prepare it is totally up to you. Some people like to tear the lettuce roughly with their hands, while others prefer chopping it thinly.

    The purple cabbage can be added straight to the salad, but if you want to soften its crunch, you can massage it with a little salt before tossing it in.

    When it comes to the dressing, many home cooks in Turkey don’t bother mixing it separately. Instead, they pour the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pomegranate molasses (if using) directly over the salad and toss everything together. It’s quick, easy, and works perfectly.

    How to Customize It

    This is the basic version of Mevsim Salatası, but there are no strict rules about what you can add. You can always give it your own twist.

    For example, Zerrin’s mom loves to add some shredded radishes. You can also include more greens like arugula, fresh dill, or chopped green onions.

    If you want to make it heartier, try adding chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, or onions. These ingredients are often found in other Turkish salads, but they work beautifully in Mevsim Salatası too.

    What to Serve with Mevsim Salatası

    We can’t imagine fish dishes like Hamsi (fried anchovies) or Baked Sea Bass without a large bowl of Mevsim Salatası on the side. 

    Woman about to eat a lettuce salad served in a white bowl and a chicken dish on the side.

    Other dishes that we often pair with this salad are:

    • Tavuk Sote
    • Turkish-Style Chicken Breast
    • Turkish Chicken and Potatoes
    • Tavuk Şiş (chicken skewers)
    • Tavuk Döner
    • Tavuklu Pilav
    • Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta

    And here’s a bonus: Mevsim Salatası can also be used as the base for Turkish chicken salad.

    Can I Make It ahead of Time?

    Yes, you can make Mevsim Salatası ahead of time, but it’s best to store the salad without the dressing. 

    Keep the chopped vegetables in an airtight container and the dressing in a separate jar. 

    When you’re ready to serve, just toss them together to keep the salad fresh and crisp.

    A bowl of lettuce salad with red cabbage and carrot and a fork inside it.

    How to Store Leftovers

    We don’t really recommend storing leftover Mevsim Salatası because the dressing will cause the vegetables to soften and release their juices, making the salad lose its fresh, crisp texture by the next day.

    However, if you must store it, transfer the salad to an airtight container and keep it in the fridge. While it won’t be as vibrant as when freshly made, it can still be enjoyed.

    For the best experience, try to prepare just enough to avoid leftovers!

    More Turkish Salads

    Turkish Potato Salad

    Turkish Onion Salad

    Piyaz

    Turkish Bulgur Salad

    Ezme

    As always: If you make this recipe, let us know what you think by rating it and leaving a comment below. And post a pic on Instagram too—tag @give_recipe so we can see!

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    📖 Recipe

    A fresh salad with lettuce, carrots and red cabbage in a white bowl and wooden spoons inside it.
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    Mevsim Salatasi

    By Zerrin & Yusuf
    A fresh and colorful Turkish salad with lettuce, purple cabbage, carrot, and parsley, tossed in a tangy lemon and olive oil dressing. Perfect as a side dish for any meal!
    Yields: 4 servings
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    PREP 10 minutes mins
    COOK 0 minutes mins
    TOTAL 10 minutes mins

    INGREDIENTS
      

    Salad:

    • 1 Romaine lettuce or any type you prefer, roughly chopped
    • ¼ purple cabbage about ½ cup, thinly sliced (See Note 1)
    • ½ cup parsley chopped
    • 1 carrot grated

    Dressing:

    • 1 lemon
    • 2 tablespoons olive oil extra virgin
    • 1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses optional, See Note 2
    • ½ teaspoon salt

    INSTRUCTIONS
     

    • Place the chopped lettuce, purple cabbage, parsley, and grated carrot in a large salad bowl.
    • To prepare the dressing: Combine the lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, pomegranate molasses, and salt in a jar. Shake well until fully mixed.
    • Pour the dressing over the salad ingredients and toss everything together until well-coated.

    NOTES

    1. If you want to soften the crunchiness of the cabbage, sprinkle a pinch of salt over it after slicing. Massage it gently with your hands, then transfer it to the salad bowl.
    2. Pomegranate molasses can be found at Middle Eastern markets. It cannot be substituted with pomegranate juice in this recipe. If you can’t find it, simply leave it out.

    NUTRITION

    Calories: 106kcalCarbohydrates: 11gProtein: 1gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gSodium: 321mgPotassium: 272mgFiber: 3gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 4380IUVitamin C: 55mgCalcium: 49mgIron: 1mg

    Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

    ADDITIONAL INFO

    Course Sides
    Cuisine Turkish
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    Meet Zerrin and Yusuf Gunaydin: The couple behind this blog. We bring Turkish food into your kitchen! From kebabs to desserts, everything you crave is here.

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    Meet Zerrin and Yusuf Gunaydin: The couple behind this blog. We bring Turkish food into your kitchen! From kebabs to desserts, everything you crave is here.

    More about us→

    POPULAR RECIPES

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