Shopska Salata
Шопска салата·(shop-ska sa-la-ta)
The Meze Table & Summer Salads
Everyone assumes this dish was forged in a rustic Balkan village centuries ago. It wasn't. It was invented in the 1950s by master chefs at the state-run Balkantourist agency to match the white, green, and red stripes of the Bulgarian flag. But it quickly became the absolute taste of a diaspora summer. Forget the watered-down Mediterranean versions you find in the States; making this right on a weeknight means following three non-negotiable Grandmother secrets. You must use sunflower oil instead of olive oil, grab a jar of roasted red peppers for smoky depth, and grate a block of brined feta into a snowy mountain over the top. It melts instantly on the tongue, cuts through the crunch, and tastes exactly like home.
Before you start
Soak sharp onions in ice water.
If your raw red onion smells overly sharp or pungent, soak the chopped pieces in a bowl of ice water for 5 minutes, then drain well before adding them to the salad.
Ingredients
- summer tomatoes3 large
- English cucumber1 med
- jarred roasted red peppers1/2 cup
- red onion1/2 med
- sunflower oil3 tbsp
- red wine vinegar1 tbsp
- kosher salt1/4 tsp
- feta cheese in brine5 oz
- fresh flat-leaf parsley2 tbsp
- Kalamata olive1 small
Method
- 01
Combine and dress the chopped vegetables.
Toss the tomatoes, cucumber, roasted red peppers, and onion in a large bowl with the kosher salt, sunflower oil, and red wine vinegar until well coated, then mix in half the chopped parsley.
- 02
Form the salad into a mountain.
Transfer the dressed vegetables and all their juices from the bottom of the bowl to a shallow serving platter, gently shaping them into a small mound.
- 03
Grate the cheese into a snowy blanket.
Using the large holes of a box grater, grate the block of feta directly over the vegetables until they are completely covered in a thick, fluffy layer of cheese. Do not mix it in.
- 04
Garnish and serve immediately without tossing.
Sprinkle the remaining parsley over the top. For a classic, old-school homeland restaurant touch, place a single black Kalamata olive right at the peak of the mountain.
Notes
Respect the sunflower oil.
Extra virgin olive oil is a Mediterranean habit that masks the true Bulgarian taste. Sunflower oil provides the historically accurate, neutral, and slightly nutty background this salad requires.
Never mix the cheese.
Stirring the cheese into the dressed vegetables turns the salad into a cloudy, muddy mess. The cheese must remain a pristine, grated blanket on top so it melts on the tongue with each bite.