Proper Greek Salad (Horiatiki) — No Lettuce, No Shortcuts
The real Greek village salad has no lettuce, no vinegar, and no fussy techniques. Just peak summer vegetables, olive oil, and a slab of feta. Perfect in 15 minutes.
Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
0 min
Total Time
15 min
Servings
2
🛒 Ingredients
Serves 2
- 4ripe tomatoes, cut into large chunks
- 1cucumber, partially peeled, cut into half-moons
- 1green bell pepper, sliced into rings
- ½red onion, thinly sliced
- 100 gKalamata olives
- 150 gblock of feta (whole slab, not crumbled)
- 4 tbspextra-virgin olive oil (good quality!)
- 1 tspdried oregano
- Salt & black pepper
🌿 Vegetarian, Gluten-Free
👨🍳 Instructions
1
Arrange the tomatoes, cucumber, pepper, and onion in a wide bowl or on a flat plate. Don't overthink the arrangement — a rustic tumble is authentic.
2
Scatter the olives over the vegetables. Place the whole block of feta on top — do not crumble it. The slab presentation is traditional and the right way.
3
Drizzle generously with olive oil — don't be shy. Sprinkle dried oregano over everything, especially the feta. Season with a small pinch of salt (feta is already salty) and a good grind of black pepper.
4
Let it sit for 5 minutes before serving so the tomatoes release some juice into the olive oil and create a natural dressing. Serve with crusty bread to mop up the juices.
💡 Chef's Tips
The olive oil is the dressing: A proper horiatiki uses only olive oil — no vinegar, no lemon. Use the best extra-virgin olive oil you have. Greek or Spanish work best.
Tomato quality: This salad lives and dies by the tomatoes. Ripe, in-season, room-temperature tomatoes only. Never refrigerated.
The feta rule: Get a block of feta packed in brine, not pre-crumbled. The block stays creamy and flavorful; pre-crumbled is dry and salty. In Greece, it's always a whole slab on top.