Make a Traditional Greek Salad

Greek salad is one of the most famous salads out there. Its classic ingredients are fresh tomato, cucumbers, capers, onion, feta cheese, olives, and at least two or three spoonfuls of olive oil. In some regions, it is served on top of a scoop of Greek potato salad. Add a side of bread to make your traditional Greek salad complete.

Steps

Making a Traditional Greek Salad with Oil Dressing

  1. Gather your ingredients. This basic Greek salad with dressing is relatively easy and makes 6 to 8 servings. You can leave out ingredients according to taste. Here's what you'll need:
    • 2/3 cup grams feta cheese, cubed
    • 1 head of romaine lettuce
    • 4 tomatoes cut in wedges
    • 1 cucumber, unpeeled, cut in rounds
    • 1 large red onion, peeled and cut in fine wedges
    • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
    • 15 to 20 pitted black olives
    • Salt to taste
    • 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
  2. Prepare the base for your Greek salad. Wash the head of romaine lettuce well to rid it of any pesticides. Tear the washed lettuce into small, bite-sized pieces by hand and place the lettuce pieces into a large serving bowl.[1]
    • If you want your lettuce to come out in more uniform pieces, use a knife to chop up your lettuce instead of tearing it.
    • If you're not a fan of romaine, feel free to substitute your favorite lettuce, like butter lettuce or iceberg lettuce.
  3. Process the vegetables and add them to the salad. Peel the red onion and slice it thinly. Chop the cucumber into rounds and the tomatoes into wedges. Place the fresh ingredients on top of the lettuce in the serving bowl.[1]
  4. Add authentic Greek toppings. Sprinkle the salad with crumbled feta cheese. Top it off with pitted kalamata olives. Sprinkle the salad with a dash of dried oregano. [1]
    • If you don’t have access to kalamata olives for whatever reason, black olives work just as well as a substitute.
    • Freshly chopped oregano can be substituted for dried oregano.
  5. Dress the Greek salad with your wet ingredients. Squeeze the juice of half a lemon over the mixed salad. Drizzle plenty of olive oil over the bowl.[1]
    • Season the salad by sprinkling salt and pepper onto the salad mix. Toss the salad to allow all of the ingredients to get a bit of the oil and seasoning.
    • Taste the salad to see if it needs any additional seasoning or oil and feel free to adjust as needed.

Making a Greek Vegetable Salad with Herb Vinaigrette

  1. Gather your ingredients. Unlike most traditional Greek salads, this recipe doesn’t include lettuce as the base. Freshly chopped vegetables dressed with a delicious vinaigrette are the stars of this recipe.[2] Here's what you'll need:
    • 1/2 cup olive oil
    • 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
    • 1 tsp rosemary leaves
    • 1 tsp thyme leaves
    • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
    • 1/2 tsp oregano leaves
    • 3 cups seeded and diced cucumbers
    • 3 cups seeded and diced tomatoes
    • 1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
    • 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
  2. Process the vegetables. Seed the cucumbers and tomatoes, then dice them so that they are uniformly cut into ¾-inch pieces. Slice the red onion thinly.[2]
    • Some people enjoy having beets in their Greek salad. To alter the recipe a little, slice a roasted beet into half coins to add to your vegetable salad.
    • Olives are another way to incorporate rich Greek flavors into your vegetable salad. Add 2/3 of a cup of pitted kalamata olives or black olives if you'd like.
  3. Make the vinaigrette. In a large bowl, mix the olive oil, white wine vinegar, and herbs with a whisk until the ingredients are blended together well. Taste the vinaigrette and add salt and pepper as need.
  4. Mix the vegetables and the vinaigrette. Add the cucumbers, onion, and tomatoes to the bowl with the vinaigrette. Use a pair of tongs to toss the ingredients well. The vegetable pieces should be evenly coated by the herb vinaigrette.[2]
    • To allow the flavors to meld, you can over and refrigerate the vegetable salad for at least an hour before you serve.
    • When you’re ready to eat the salad, sprinkle it with feta cheese.

Making a Tarpon-Style Greek Salad with Potato Salad

  1. Gather your ingredients. The pairing is one that is unique to the Tarpon area of Florida. Greek salad with potato salad makes quite the tasty combination.[3] Here's what you'll need:
    • For the potato salad:
      • 2.5 lbs. red skin potatoes
      • 2 green onions, diced
      • 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
      • Salt and pepper, to taste
    • For the Greek salad:
      • 1 head Romaine lettuce, chopped
      • 1 bell pepper, diced
      • 1 cucumber, diced
      • 2 tomatoes, diced
      • 1 cooked beet, diced
      • 1 pepperoncini, sliced
      • Kalamata olives to taste
      • Olive oil to taste
      • fresh cracked pepper, to taste
  2. Cook the potatoes. Boil a large pot of salted water. While you wait for it to boil, dice up your potatoes into one-inch cubes. Cook them for about 12-15 minutes, or until they feel tender when you poke them with a fork.[3]
    • Be sure to salt the water liberally so that the potatoes receive some seasoning as they cook.
    • After the potatoes have been boiled, drain the water and set the potatoes aside so that they can cool completely before proceeding to the next steps.
  3. Mix the potatoes with the remaining potato salad ingredients. When the potatoes are completely cooled down, mix them with the mayonnaise and green onions. Taste the mixture and add salt and pepper according to your preference.[3]
    • When the potato salad is mixed and seasoned to perfection, place it in the refrigerator to allow it to cool for at least another hour.
    • This potato salad makes about 6 servings and will act as the topping or side to the Greek salad described in the next step.
  4. Assemble your Greek salad. Place the chopped romaine in a large serving bowl. Top the lettuce with green onions, kalamata olives, pepperoncini, beets, tomatoes, cucumber, and bell peppers.[3]
    • Serve the potato salad on the bottom of the Greek salad, on the top, or on the side.
    • Sprinkle the salad with feta cheese and fresh cracked pepper.
    • Top it all with a drizzle of olive oil.



Tips

  • Feta cheese is quite salty, so you may not need to add any salt at all. Taste your salad continuously to get a better idea of what to do about seasoning.
  • It is important to toss the salad well. If the salad is not tossed enough, the olive oil tends to gather and the bottom, resulting in an unevenly-flavored salad.
  • Keep ingredients cold until ready for use.
  • If you accidentally add too much olive oil, don't fret. Too much olive oil can be soaked up with some loaf bread.
  • Try to prepare your salads with the freshest ingredients to ensure a great taste every time.

Warnings

  • Exercise good food hygiene by washing your hands before and after you handle food.
  • Be careful when you grate and chop some of the ingredients. Accidents can happen in the kitchen, so make sure you are following food safety procedures, particularly while using knives.

Things You'll Need

  • Clean chopping board
  • Mixing bowl/serving bowl
  • A knife (sharp)

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 http://www.chowhound.com/food-news/55152/the-basics-how-to-make-a-greek-salad/
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 http://www.mccormick.com/Recipes/Salads-Sides/Greek-Vegetable-Salad-with-Herb-Vinaigrette
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 http://helpfulhomemade.com/greek-salad-with-potato-salad/
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