Horiatiki is the crown jewel of Greek cuisine, a rustic salad that celebrates fresh Mediterranean produce without mayo or lettuce. Its balance of tomato acidity, feta saltiness, and oregano bitterness makes it an essential dish in summer.
Ingredients
How many are you cooking for?
Original recipe for 4 servings
- 500 g ripe tomatoes cut into wedges
- 1 large cucumber sliced into thick rounds
- 1 red bell pepper cut into strips
- 1 red onion sliced into thin rings
- 200 g block of feta cheese
- 100 g kalamata olives
- 50 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- Sea salt and black pepper to taste
Step by step
Follow the timeline: technique icon, time and temperature when relevant.
- Step 1 Cut 5 min
Wash the tomatoes under cold water and cut them into irregular wedges about three centimeters thick; the irregular shape allows the natural juice to blend better with the oil during resting.
- Step 2 Cut 5 min
Peel the cucumber if the skin is tough and slice it into half-centimeter rounds, removing wet seeds to prevent the salad from becoming watery too quickly.
- Step 3 Cut 5 min
Cut the red bell pepper into thin strips and peel the red onion to remove bitterness, arranging it in loose rings that add a sweet and crunchy touch to the mix.
- Step 4 Mix 2 min
Place the mixture in a wide ceramic bowl, add kalamata olives, and season with coarse salt and a tablespoon of dried oregano; ceramic maintains the ideal cool temperature.
- Step 5 Assemble 1 min
Place the entire feta block in the center without cutting it, so that when broken at the table it releases its natural cream and balances tomato acidity with controlled saltiness.
- Step 6 Rest 10 min
Drizzle with fifty milliliters of first cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil and let it rest for exactly ten minutes so the flavors meld together before serving.