taboulé de mie de pain

Bread-Crumb Tabbouleh

Peek into a Parisian’s picnic basket and you just may find tabbouleh, the bulgur salad featuring loads of chopped parsley and tomatoes, seasoned with olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. In France, we tend to make the dish with more grain than the classic version, which is all about the parsley. I make mine with toasted bread crumbs, which have a texture similar to bulgur. This tabbouleh retains the fresh, vibrant feel of the original, and the tang of the sourdough crumbs balances the sweetness of the ripe tomatoes.

Instructions

Level

Easy

Number of persons

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredient

2 tablespoons (30 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups (130 g) finely ground bread crumbs, preferably from Poilâne-Style Sourdough
4 medium ripe tomatoes, diced
1 medium white onion, finely diced (optional)
4 loosely packed cups (120 g) coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
½ cup (15 g) coarsely chopped fresh mint
Juice of 2 lemons

01

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the bread crumbs and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden and crisp, 5 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a large serving bowl and set aside to cool.

02

Add the tomatoes, onion, if using, parsley, mint, and lemon juice to the bowl and mix to combine. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, and up to 6 hours, before serving.

03

Serve the tabbouleh chilled.