Greek Salad Recipe (Authentic Horiatiki)
Authentic Greek salad recipe (horiatiki) with ripe tomatoes, cucumber, olives and a slab of feta. No lettuce, just 10 minutes and a simple olive oil dressing.
This authentic Greek salad recipe, called horiatiki, uses only ripe tomatoes, cucumber, onion, olives and a whole slab of feta. Horiatiki means village salad, and a real one has no lettuce. The dressing is just good olive oil, a splash of vinegar and dried oregano. It is ready in 15 minutes, and it is only as good as your tomatoes, so make it in summer.
Ingredients
- 600 g ripe tomatoes, cut into thick wedges
- 1 large cucumber (about 300 g), peeled in stripes and sliced thickly
- 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 green bell pepper, sliced into ringsSubstitute: leave out
- 150 g Kalamata olives
- 200 g feta cheese, in one slab
- 60 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp dried Greek oregano
- 1 tbsp capers (optional)
- 0.5 tsp flaky sea salt
Method
- Choose the vegetables. Pick tomatoes that smell sweet and feel heavy, and a firm cucumber. A Greek salad has only a few ingredients, so the tomatoes decide how it tastes.
- Cut the tomatoes. Cut the tomatoes into thick wedges, or into large chunks if they are big. Thick pieces keep their juice and do not turn mushy.
- Prepare the cucumber. Peel the cucumber in alternating stripes and slice it about 1 cm thick. If the seeds are large and watery, scoop them out.
- Slice the onion and pepper. Slice the red onion very thinly and the pepper into rings. Soak the onion in cold water for 5 minutes if you want a milder bite, then drain it well.
- Salt the tomatoes. Put the tomatoes in a wide bowl and sprinkle with the salt. Leave them for 10 minutes so they release juices that become part of the dressing.
- Combine the vegetables. Add the cucumber, onion, pepper, olives and capers to the tomatoes and toss gently with your hands. Be careful not to crush the tomatoes.
- Dress the salad. Whisk the olive oil and vinegar together and pour it over the vegetables. Toss once more so everything is lightly coated, with a little dressing left in the bowl for bread.
- Top with the feta. Set the slab of feta on top, pour a little olive oil over it and sprinkle with the oregano. The whole slab is the traditional way, and each person breaks off pieces as they eat.
- Serve at once. Serve straight away at room temperature with crusty bread to mop up the juices. A cold salad loses flavour, and a salad that waits turns watery.
A real horiatiki has no lettuce. Use the best extra virgin olive oil you have, because it is a main flavour. Horiatiki is pronounced hor-YAH-tee-kee. Do not make this salad ahead: the tomatoes and cucumber release water, so dress it just before serving.
Frequently asked questions
How do you pronounce horiatiki?
Horiatiki is pronounced hor-YAH-tee-kee. It means village salad in Greek, and is the proper Greek name for what many people call Greek salad.
What is horiatiki?
Horiatiki is the Greek word for village salad. It is the original Greek salad: tomatoes, cucumber, onion, olives and feta with olive oil and oregano, and no lettuce.
What is in an authentic Greek salad?
Tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, Kalamata olives, a slab of feta, olive oil and dried oregano, often with a green pepper and capers. There is no lettuce.
Does a real Greek salad have lettuce?
No. In Greece the salad is made with tomato, cucumber and onion only. Lettuce appears in versions made outside Greece.
What dressing goes on Greek salad?
A simple mix of extra virgin olive oil and a little red wine vinegar, with dried oregano on top. Many cooks use no vinegar at all.
Can I make Greek salad ahead?
Chop the vegetables up to 3 hours ahead and keep them in the fridge, but dress and add the feta just before serving so the salad does not turn watery.
What kind of feta is best?
Choose Greek feta made from sheep's milk, or sheep and goat milk, sold in a block in brine. It is creamier and tangier than most crumbled feta.
What can I serve with Greek salad?
It goes well with grilled meat such as souvlaki, with fish, or with crusty bread as a light lunch.
How do I make Greek salad dressing?
Whisk 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil with 1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar and a good pinch of dried oregano. In a real horiatiki the dressing is simply poured over the salad.
