Learn how to make the perfect Greek Horiatiki Salad at home, using classic Greek ingredients. Forget limp salads and complicated dressings – this is the real deal, THE BEST GREEK SALAD RECIPE EVER.
20black Kalamata olives, pitted and sliced or whole
7oz(200g) block feta cheese
1tbspred wine vinegar
4tbspextra virgin olive oil, or to taste
1teaspoondried oregano, plus extra to garnish
sea salt, to taste
Instructions
Prep your vegetables by giving them a good rinse.
Slice your tomatoes into chunky irregular wedges. Slice any smaller tomatoes, if using, in half. Place the tomatoes in a salad bowl.
Slice the onion into thin half moon slices – I like using a mandolin for this but of course a knife will work just as well.
Top the green pepper and discard the seeds and white membranes. Slice into rounds.
Cut the seeds our of the cucumber (unless it is super crisp!) and then slice into half moons or rounds.
Add all the vegetables and olives to your salad bowl and sprinkle liberally with sea salt. Drizzle generously with olive oil, add the red wine vinegar and then gently toss everything together. Allow the salad to rest for 15-20 minutes at room temperature so that the tomatoes release some of their juices.
Add the feta cheese as a block or in two large wedges over the salad and drizzle with extra olive oil and a bit of dried oregano.
Serve the salad with slices of Horiatiko bread or pita to dip into the salad juices and mop up every delicious drop.
Video
Notes
Store any leftover salad in the refrigerator for a day or two. The vegetables will lose some of their crispness so I prefer to toss them with some orzo pasta to serve or supplement the leftovers with some freshly cut tomatoes.
A proper Greek salad is only as good as its ingredients and so it is served during the summer months and into autumn when the ingredients are seasonal and plentiful. If the tomatoes are watery and insipid the salad will be a disappointment.
Taste the feta cheese before using. If it is very salty you might need to adjust any additional salt in the salad.