Authentic Greek Salad Recipe : This simple Greek salad recipe can be used to make a traditional Greek salad, or Horiatiki. All you need is a small amount of fresh ingredients and a simple dressing made with high-quality olive oil and a dash of vinegar!
A few years ago, I had the good fortune to travel to the Greek islands of Patmos and Kos, where I fell in love with the locals, their little stores, and their dive bars. I had a fresh salad at one of the small, family-run restaurants we went to, and it really made me realize what a simple, authentic Greek salad should be! And I have precisely duplicated that for you.
With no lettuce or other filler, this Greek salad recipe is a great example of a basic salad that allows crunchy vegetables to shine. Similar to Italian caprese or Bulgarian shopska, the traditional table salad is made with only a few basic ingredients and has gained international acclaim.
Greek village salad, or horiatiki, is typically served in Greece in the early spring, during the summer, and until the middle of fall. It’s really the finest way to enjoy the vegetables of the season, which include earthy green bell peppers, sweet tomatoes, and crunchy cucumbers. You’ll adore it just as much as I do, I’m sure.
Authentic Greek Salad Recipe
Ingredients for Horiatiki, a Greek salad
Only a few simple, readily available ingredients are needed for this dish of Greek salad. To get there, seize:
- Use Roma or vine-ripe tomatoes while making sauce. When they are ripe, they maintain some firmness, which complements the crunch of the onion and bell pepper nicely.
- Cucumber: Because English cucumbers are usually sweeter, I like them better. If all you can find are regular slicing cucumbers, be sure to remove the bitter, waxy skin completely.
- Red onions are delicious and sufficiently mild to be eaten raw. A brief soak in ice water with a sprinkle of vinegar does wonders to further reduce the pain.
- Olives: Any good olive will do for a classic Greek salad, but my personal preference are briny Kalamata olives.
- Bell pepper: The only bell pepper used in an authentic dish is a firm, smooth green bell pepper.
- Feta cheese: If you can, use premium Greek sheep’s milk feta. Rather than using prepackaged brined feta blocks, choose for whole blocks,
- which have a superior flavor and enable you to serve the big chunks of feta that are the main attraction of a classic Greek salad.
- Use a full-flavored Greek olive oil, such as our Private Reserve from Kyparissia, for your extra virgin olive oil.
- Red wine vinegar: This gives a quick vinaigrette a little bite without requiring whisking.
- Seasoning: A small pinch of kosher salt and dried oregano are all that’s needed to season this salad.
How to Prepare Greek Salad
Making this Greek salad recipe is quite simple. Just pick up a serving bowl and get going:
- Shake the onion : Slice one red onion thinly in half to form half-moons. Pour some ice water into a small basin to help soothe the raw taste. Slices of onion should be added to the water after about a teaspoon of red wine vinegar. While you prepare the vegetables, set them to soak for about ten minutes.
- Prepare the vegetables: Cut four medium tomatoes into small pieces. Cut a cucumber into half-moon shapes after partially peeling it to create stripes. 1 green bell pepper should be cut into rings.
- Season:  Place all the veggies in a large serving dish, along with a handful of pitted Kalamata olives. Remove the onions from the ice water and add to the platter with the rest of the veggies. Sprinkle on 1 ½ teaspoons of dried oregano and a touch of kosher salt.
Also See
Ideas for Serving Greek Salad
You can serve this easy Greek salad recipe as an appetizer or as a side dish for almost any entree, which is part of its popularity.
Guidelines
- Shake the onion: Pour some ice water into a small bowl to help soothe the raw onion flavor. Sliced onion should be added to the water after around a teaspoon of red wine vinegar has been added. Let it soak for about ten minutes.
- Mix the vegetables: In a large serving dish, arrange the tomato, cucumber, bell pepper, and olives. After taking the onions out of the water, combine them with the other veggies in the meal.
Time of year. Add a pinch of kosher salt and ¾ teaspoon of oregano to the vegetables. Toss everything gently after adding the oil and vinegar (to taste). - Complete and present: Place slabs of feta on top of the salad, then top with the remaining ¾ teaspoon of oregano.
Remarks
- Remaining food? You could keep them covered and chilled for two days.
- Try this salad with Ladolemono, another traditional Greek salad dressing, for an even stronger taste of lemon and garlic.
- Come browse our shop’s selection of premium Mediterranean goods, such as spices, olive oils, honey, and jams.