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Side · Mediterranean

Greek salad

No lettuce. Just tomato, cucumber, onion, olives, feta, oregano, oil.

15 min Serves 4 Mediterranean Kid friendly

Greek salad, or horiatiki, is a rustic mix of tomatoes, cucumber, onion, olives, and a slab of feta, dressed simply with olive oil. It contains no lettuce in its traditional form. It is fresh, vibrant, and entirely about good ingredients at their peak.

Ingredients

  • 4 ripe tomatoes, about 600g
  • 1 cucumber
  • 1 red onion
  • 150 g kalamata olives, whole, stones in or pitted
  • 200 g feta, in one slab
  • 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • salt, to taste

Method

  1. Cut out the hard core at the stem end, then cut the tomatoes into irregular wedges and chunks. Put them in a large, shallow bowl and sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Leave them for 5 minutes while you do the rest: the salt draws out juice that becomes part of the dressing.
  2. If the cucumber skin is tough, peel it in stripes first. Halve it lengthways and cut it into thick half-moons, about 1cm, so they stay crunchy.
  3. Peel the red onion and slice it into rings as thin as you can manage, so it adds a sharp, fresh bite without taking over the whole bowl.
  4. Add the cucumber, onion and olives to the tomatoes and turn everything over gently with your hands, only once. Leave the juices in the bowl.
  5. Lay the slab of feta on top, whole. Rub the oregano between your fingers over it to wake up the aroma, then drizzle the olive oil over everything, feta included, and splash over the vinegar.
  6. If you have time, leave the dressed bowl for 10 minutes so the juices and oil mingle. Taste a piece of tomato and add salt only if it needs it, since feta and olives are salty. Bring it to the table, break up the feta as you toss, and serve with bread for the bottom of the bowl.

Tips

  • Use ripe summer tomatoes and good olive oil, since the salad depends almost entirely on ingredient quality.
  • Let the dressed salad sit for ten minutes so the tomato juices and oil mingle into a light dressing.
  • Dress it simply with olive oil, a little red wine vinegar, and oregano, with no need for lettuce.

Common questions

Does Greek salad have lettuce?

No, the traditional horiatiki has no lettuce. It is tomatoes, cucumber, onion, peppers, olives, and feta.

Can I make it ahead?

You can prep the vegetables ahead, but dress it just before serving so the salad stays crisp and does not turn watery.