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Greek Salad – plated and served
SaladsVegetarianSummerLow CarbQuick MealsGreek

Greek Salad

Horiatiki with chunky tomatoes, cucumber, olives, and a whole block of feta on top.

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Preparation
15 min
Cook/bake time
–
Total
15 min
Difficulty
Easy
Calories
387 kcal
Servings
4

Horiatiki with chunky tomatoes, cucumber, olives, and a whole block of feta on top. The real Greek farmer's salad does without lettuce and needs no vinaigrette, just very good olive oil, oregano, and salt. Everything depends on the tomatoes being ripe, which is why it is a summer dish.

Why this works

Ripe tomatoes are the whole salad because the dressing is created from their own juice. Salt draws liquid from the cut surfaces, which combines with the olive oil to form a natural vinaigrette at the bottom of the bowl. Unripe tomatoes do not release this juice, as their cell walls are still firm and their sugar content is low. That is why Horiatiki works in August and not in February, completely independent of the quality of the other ingredients.

Step-by-step instructions

  1. Chop tomatoes roughly

    Cut the tomatoes into large, irregular wedges or eighths, never into small cubes. Salt them lightly and let them stand for five minutes. The escaping tomato juice is not a problem with Horiatiki, but rather desired. Together with the olive oil, it forms the sauce that you mop up with bread at the end.

  2. Prepare vegetables

    Peel the cucumber only partially in stripes and cut it into thick half-moons, so it stays crunchy and does not water immediately. The bell pepper is cut into rings, the onion into rings as thin as possible. If you find onions too sharp, soak them in cold water for five minutes and drain them afterwards.

  3. Layer

    Place tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, and onions in a shallow bowl and mix them gently. Scatter the olives over them and leave them unpitted, so they are firmer and more aromatic. Finally, place the feta block whole on top. This is the classic presentation and not a sign of carelessness.

  4. Season

    Drizzle the olive oil generously over the whole salad, especially over the feta, and add the red wine vinegar sparingly. Rub the dried oregano between your palms over it, which releases its essential oils. Grind black pepper on top and salt carefully, because feta and olives already bring a lot of salt.

  5. Let rest

    Let the salad stand for ten minutes at room temperature before serving, so the flavors combine and the feta absorbs some oil. Never serve it ice cold, because cold numbs the tomato flavor. Fresh white bread is an absolute must.

Our best tips

  • The feta goes on top as a whole block, not diced. This is the authentic way to serve it.
  • Do not use lettuce. Horiatiki means farmer's salad and consists only of vegetables.
  • Stands and falls with ripe tomatoes. In winter, this dish is simply not worth it.

Tasty variations

With capers

Add a tablespoon of capers. This is common on some Greek islands and adds acidity.

With paximadi

Mix in roughly broken hard barley bread, like in the Cretan Dakos, which soaks up the tomato sauce.

Nutrition facts

Per serving (1 portion)
Calories387 kcal
Protein10 g
Carbohydrates14 g
– of which sugar12 g
Fat32 g
Fiber5 g

Where the 387 kcal come from

per serving
Calculated from the ingredients – how we do it

We add up reference values for every ingredient and divide by the number of servings. These assumptions are baked in:

  • Reference values per 100 g – for the raw ingredient, exactly as listed.
  • Tinned goods count at drained weight, bone-in meat at purchase weight: you eat about 70 per cent of a chicken thigh and leave the rest.
  • Water evaporates as you cook. The energy stays in the pot, the weight does not – so the figure is per serving, not per 100 g of finished dish.
  • Anything listed without a quantity – “salt and pepper” – is not counted.

A guide value, not a lab measurement: no two onions weigh the same, and fat content varies from pack to pack.

How we calculate nutrition →

Frequently asked questions

Does lettuce belong in it?

No. The real Horiatiki consists exclusively of vegetables, olives, and feta. Versions with iceberg lettuce are a tourist adaptation.

Which feta is the right one?

Real Greek feta made from sheep's and goat's milk with a protected designation of origin. Brined cheese made from cow's milk tastes significantly flatter.

Can I prepare the salad in advance?

Cut the vegetables a maximum of one hour beforehand. Add oil, vinegar, and oregano only shortly before serving, otherwise everything will become watery.

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