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–+ servings
red pepper dip on top of hummus in a flowered bowl with pita chips resting on the side

Spicy Turkish Ezme Recipe

If you love bold, vibrant flavors, this spicy ezme is about to become your new favorite. Imagine juicy ripe tomatoes, crisp green peppers, and spicy peppers all finely chopped into a silky yet textured relish. A drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, and a squeeze of lemon bring it all together, making it the perfect side dish for warm pita bread, grilled meats, or a mezze platter bursting with Mediterranean flavors.
4.4 from 12 votes
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Prep Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 8
Calories: 79kcal

Ingredients
 

  • 3 large tomatoes (halved and seeded)
  • 1 large red bell pepper (seeded)
  • 1 large green bell pepper (seeded)
  • 1 small yellow onion
  • 1 handful fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • 1 jalapeno (seeded or not (based on your heat preference))
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1/4 cup walnuts (optional)
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil (plus more for serving)
  • Juice of one lemon
  • 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes (optional)
  • 1/2 teaspoon sumac

Instructions

  • Finely dice the tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, parsley, jalapeno, garlic, and walnuts, if using. Place them in a large bowl.
  • Stir in olive oil, lemon juice, tomato paste, salt, red pepper flakes, and sumac. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or overnight before serving. Serve with another drizzle of olive oil alongside pita, hummus, or grilled meats.

Notes

  • Traditional ezme is hand chopped, but you can use a food processor to speed up the process. Place everything but the tomatoes in a food processor and pulse just until finely chopped. You want the vegetables to still have individual texture and not just turn into a homogenous paste. For this reason, I always recommend chopping the tomatoes by hand and stirring them into the other vegetables if you're using a food processor.
  • If desired you can replace the jalapeno, red pepper flakes, and tomato paste with 2 Tablespoons Turkish red pepper paste.
  • Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. The flavors will deepen over time. I don’t recommend freezing this dip, as the texture becomes too watery upon thawing.
Course Condiments & Sauces
Cuisine Mediterranean
Keyword ezma salsa, ezme, ezme recipe, ezme salad, turkish ezme

Nutrition

Calories: 79kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 319mg | Potassium: 223mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 1215IU | Vitamin C: 51mg | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 1mg
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