Greek Salad

Horiatiki - the real deal, no lettuce required.

tested 2026-07 Verified as written - the block-not-crumbled feta and no-lettuce calls are correct horiatiki.

Prep: 15 min Cook: 0 min Serves: 4

Ingredients

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  • 4 ripe tomatoes, cut in wedges
  • 1 English cucumber, halved and sliced thick
  • 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 green bell pepper, sliced
  • 1/2 cup Kalamata olives
  • 200g (7oz) feta cheese, in one block
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • Salt and pepper

Instructions

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  1. Cut tomatoes into wedges, cucumbers into half-moons, peppers into rings, and onion into thin slices.
  2. Arrange vegetables on a platter or in a wide shallow bowl. Scatter olives over top.
  3. Place the block of feta directly on top. Don't crumble it - that's not traditional.
  4. Drizzle generously with olive oil and a splash of red wine vinegar.
  5. Sprinkle oregano, salt, and pepper over everything.
  6. Serve immediately with crusty bread to soak up the juices.

Notes

  • Traditional Greek salad has no lettuce. Just chunky vegetables.
  • Use the best olive oil you have - it's doing a lot of work here.
  • The feta should be a whole slab, not crumbled. Each person breaks off what they want.

When it goes wrong

  • Watery mess → mealy out-of-season tomatoes; this is a summer salad, don't fight it in January.
  • Harsh raw onion → slice thinner, or soak slices in cold water 10 minutes.
  • Bland → cheap oil or timid seasoning; the olive oil is an ingredient here, not a garnish.

Traditional Greek