Horiatiki Greek Salad
A real horiatiki has no lettuce in it: just tomatoes, cucumber, peppers, onion, olives and a slab of feta, dressed with oregano and good olive oil. The simplicity is the point.
Photograph credit: Greek Salad at Pizza a Fetta by roland · CC0 1.0 · Flickr
Salting the tomatoes and cucumber ten minutes ahead draws out water that then combines with the olive oil into a dressing — which is why a proper Greek salad needs no vinegar or added liquid. The feta goes on in a whole slab rather than crumbled because it stays creamy rather than dissolving into the juices.
Photograph credit: Greek Salad Feta Cheese, Red · CC0 1.0 · Rawpixel
How to Make Horiatiki Greek Salad
Tap a step to highlight it, or turn on Cook Mode for large type and step-by-step focus.
-
Put the tomato wedges and cucumber in a wide bowl, sprinkle with half the salt, and leave for 10 minutes to draw out their juices.
-
Soak the sliced onion in cold water for 10 minutes to soften its bite, then drain and dry.
-
Add the pepper rings, onion and olives to the bowl and toss gently with the tomato juices.
-
Pour over the olive oil and the vinegar if using, and toss once more.
-
Transfer to a serving platter and lay the slab of feta on top — do not crumble it.
-
Crush the dried oregano between your palms over the feta, then finish with the remaining salt, black pepper and a final drizzle of olive oil.
-
Serve at room temperature with bread to mop the juices, which are the best part.
Something wrong or unclear in this recipe? Report a problem with this recipe.
Worth Getting Right
- Greek dried oregano on the branch is far more aromatic than the powdery supermarket kind.
- Use only real Greek feta made from sheep's milk — cow's milk versions are chalky and bland.
- Never refrigerate the finished salad. Room temperature is essential to the flavour.
Pairs Well With
A cold Assyrtiko or a glass of ouzo with water · Serve with grilled fish, souvlaki or just bread · Follow with fresh watermelon
Keeping and Reheating
Assemble to order. The dressed vegetables keep 1 day but the texture softens; use leftovers as a bruschetta topping.
Nutrition per Serving
Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central figures (SR Legacy). A calculation, not a laboratory analysis: brands, cuts and how you measure change the real numbers. How the figures are worked out.
Your notes on this recipe
Cooked this? Keep a note for next time
Compiled by Turab
Checked by script for timings, diet labels and nutrition arithmetic. How the recipes are checked. Found a mistake? Tell us.
First published ; last changed .