The cucumber tomato salad which is also called “Shopska Salad” is one of the best summer salads you can eat. I grew up eating that salad and I can honestly say it is one of my all-time favorite salads and it will always be!
When I was a kid living in Bulgaria fresh garden tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and produce in general were wildly available. And if you have ever eaten fresh produce just picked up from the garden you know that the produce available in supermarkets nowadays can never ever compare to it.
The juiciness, smell, taste, color, and ripeness of fresh garden produce are just incomparable.
If you are one of the lucky ones and you have fresh produce available to you either from your own garden or farmers’ market you will be able to indulge your palate to a maximum level. If produce from the supermarket is still all you can find this cucumber tomato salad is still fabulous and I am sure you will love it!
Ingredients for Shopska Salad
- Tomatoes – Any tomatoes will do, the freshest the better. As mentioned if you can find ripe red juicy tomatoes from a farmers market or if you are growing them yourself would give you optimal flavour.
- Cucumbers – Any cucumbers will do as well. But again the freshest the better.
- Peppers – Red Bell peppers, thinly sliced would be most suitable, however, any fresh peppers will do. You can also broil the peppers in the oven, peel them, and slice them. I would not recommend using spicy peppers. But if you would like to add some spice to the salad you can definitely do that.
- Onions – Red onions, thinly sliced go very well with this salad. But other onions will do too.
- Parsley – Just regular parsley.
- Feta cheese – This is one of the ingredients that you can not skip or substitute. Try to find good feta cheese that has not been crumbled. You need a whole block because we will grate it. Grating the cheese is an important step in this recipe. A good feta cheese would be one that is firm, smooth, and crumbly but still creamy. It’s tangy but rich. Look for Greek feta cheese.
- Olive oil – Good extra virgin olive oil will produce an optimal taste.
How to make Cucumber Tomato Salad
The cucumber tomato salad is one of the simplest salads you can make yet extremely delicious and satisfying.
- Wash and clean your produce.
- Chop the tomato, cucumber, and parsley as you wish.
- Thinly slice the pepper and onions.
- Add all of the veggies into a bowl.
- Drizzle 2-3 tbsp olive oil, add a pinch of salt.
- The most important step! Lastly, grate the feta cheese using the smaller side of your grater. This will make the cheese coat every veggie in the salad which will give it a very nice creaminess and taste.
With what to pair Shopska Salad
The cucumber tomato salad is very versatile. Pair it with a slice of crusty bread and you have a fast delicious lunch in just a few minutes.
One of my favorite ways to eat it is with french fries also sprinkled with feta cheese.
It pairs great with grilled chicken, beef, and koftas.
How to store cucumber tomato salad.
If you cut the produce, grate the cheese but do not season the salad with oil and salt and store it in an airtight container you can keep it in the fridge for a few hours and it will still taste good. But if you season it you need to eat it right away because it will start to get soggy.
Cucumber Tomato Salad (Shopska Salad)
Ingredients
- 1 tomato large ripe and red, chopped
- 3 Persian cucumbers or 1 big cucumber, chopped
- 1/2 bell pepper medium, thinly sliced
- 1/2 red onion medium, thinly sliced
- 4 oz feta cheese or more if you like it more cheesy
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- salt 1 pinch
- 1/3 cup parsley chopped
Instructions
- Wash and clean your produce.
- Chop the tomato, cucumber, and parsley as you wish.
- Thinly slice the pepper and onions.
- Add all of the veggies into a bowl.
- Drizzle 2-3 tbsp olive oil, add a pinch of salt.
- The most important step! Lastly, grate the feta cheese using the smaller side of your grater. This will make the cheese coat every veggie in the salad which will give it a very nice creaminess and taste.
