Greek Cucumber Tomato Salad
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All summer my fridge fills with tomatoes I couldn't walk past at the market, and this is where most of them end up. A good greek cucumber tomato salad is barely a recipe — more a way of using ripe tomatoes and a cool cucumber while they're at their best. Crisp cucumber, ripe tomato, sharp red onion, salty feta, and a slick of olive oil with oregano. No lettuce, no fuss, ten minutes of chopping. The only rule: it lives or dies by your tomatoes, so make it when they actually taste of something.
Why this works
Cold, raw vegetables need bold seasoning or they taste of water. So this salad leans on three strong flavours — briny olives, sharp red onion, and salty feta — held together by a proper amount of olive oil and a hit of acid. Salt the tomatoes for a couple of minutes first and they release their juice, which loosens the dressing into something you'll want to mop up with bread.
Don't go light on the olive oil here to "save calories." The oil is the dressing, the flavour, and the reason a bowl of raw veg becomes a dish people go back for. Curious what it all adds up to? See how many calories are in a Greek salad — short version: they're the good kind.
Substitutions and swaps
- Add green pepper for a more traditional *horiatiki* feel.
- Want it sharper? Add a little extra lemon, or a splash of apple cider vinegar.
- Make it a meal — add a tin of chickpeas or fold it into our Greek tortellini salad for something more filling.
- Feta: the Greek way is a whole slab laid on top, dusted with oregano — but cubed is fine for sharing.
What to serve with it
This is a brilliant side for anything off the grill, and a core member of a Salads & Sides spread — try it next to our tuna salad with Greek yogurt and warm flatbread. For the bigger picture on how a salad like this fits a balanced plate, read our Mediterranean diet dinner guide. And don't skimp on the finish — a real thread of good olive oil over the top right before serving.
Greek Cucumber Tomato Salad
A Greek cucumber tomato salad with feta, olives, red onion and a lemony oregano dressing — crisp, fresh, and on the table in 15 minutes.
15 min
0 min
15 min
6
Ingredients
- 1 large cucumber, halved and sliced into thick half-moons
- 4 ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges
- 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 150g feta, cubed or in a slab
- 100g pitted kalamata olives
- 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tsp dried oregano, plus more to finish
- Sea salt and black pepper
Method
- 1.Put the cucumber, tomato wedges, and red onion in a large bowl. Add the olives.
- 2.Whisk the olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, and a good pinch of salt and pepper into a dressing.
- 3.Pour the dressing over the vegetables and toss gently.
- 4.Add the feta on top (cubed, or laid on as a slab the Greek way), give it a final pinch of salt and a dusting of oregano, and serve.
Frequently asked questions
- What's the difference between this and a classic Greek salad?
- Not much — a classic Greek salad (horiatiki) is essentially cucumber, tomato, onion, olives, and feta with oregano and olive oil, and no lettuce. This is that, leaning on the cucumber and tomato. Some versions add green pepper; add it if you like.
- Should I salt the tomatoes first?
- It helps. A light pinch of salt on the tomato wedges a few minutes before dressing draws out their juice, which mixes with the olive oil into extra dressing. Don't skip the good olive oil — it's what makes the salad.
- How long does it keep?
- Best eaten fresh, the same day. It will hold a few hours in the fridge, but the cucumber softens and weeps over time. If making ahead, keep the dressing separate and toss just before serving.
