Shopska salad is a Macedonian chopped salad recipe made with contemporary cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, and peppers, with creamy feta and a drizzle of oil and vinegar. It’s the best salad with essentially the most wonderful flavors!
For one more conventional facet dish, attempt my tomato onion salad and Russian salad recipes. Or, toss collectively the well-known La Scala chopped salad.
Macedonian Shopska salad is THE summer season salad. As quickly because the odor of contemporary cucumber hits your nostril, I’m positive you’ll agree! I believe I ate this conventional chopped salad for 4 weeks straight once I visited my sister in Macedonia years in the past.
It’s a scrumptious mix of the whole lot I like to eat, primarily contemporary backyard cucumbers, tomatoes, and tangy feta. No fancy salad dressings right here, simply oil and vinegar. Full cease. With the assistance of the tomato juices and creamy feta, it’s like a taste explosion!
About This Macedonian Shopska Salad Recipe
- Easy to make. All of the greens get chopped after which tossed in a super-simple French dressing. The simplicity of this dish lets the components shine.
- Made for sharing. That’s the way you eat this salad in my homeland: All of the forks in a single salad bowl! When it’s not simply household, it’s simply as scrumptious dished onto plates.
- Solely the freshest components. Even higher when you have the veggies in your backyard!
- Make it prematurely. Since this salad wants somewhat time to sit back within the fridge earlier than serving, it’s a fantastic choice to make forward for events and holidays.
What the Heck Is a Shopska Salad, You May Ask?
Shopska salad is a sort of chilly salad. This recipe consists of components like tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, banana peppers, and crumbly feta cheese. Chances are you’ll already be conversant in its cousin, the Greek salad, which generally consists of olives. Bulgaria’s model of shopska is even its nationwide dish.
The whole Balkan peninsula claims Shopska as its salad. We wish to debate possession of the whole lot over there, from ajvar (purple pepper relish) to baklava, kebapi (kebabs), musaka, and land. It’s the way it goes. All love!
Collect These Salad Elements
In her Mediterranean grandmotherly approach, my Baba had a knack for turning the best components into the BEST meals, and that features a conventional chopped salad. When making Shopska salad, be certain that your tomatoes are juicy. I’ve included notes under, and you’ll discover the total printable recipe within the recipe card after the publish.
- Ripe Tomatoes – The ripest you will discover which might be plump, agency, and juicy. Good selections are Roma tomatoes, vine tomatoes, and heirloom tomatoes. I wish to roll bigger tomatoes gently towards the countertop, such as you would a lemon, to launch their juices earlier than I chop them up.
- Banana Peppers – These gentle peppers are a staple in Macedonian cooking, and my grandmother would at all times develop them in her backyard. Should you can’t discover banana peppers, inexperienced bell peppers make a very good substitute.
- Cucumber – I take advantage of English cucumbers, which are typically lengthy. Mediterranean/Persian cucumbers are shorter with fewer seeds. Each will work on this recipe; you might simply want an additional Persian cucumber in the event that they’re on the smaller facet.
- Yellow Onion – Select a light yellow or white onion, like Vidalia or shallot. Pink onion additionally goes properly on this salad.
- Olive Oil – High quality counts! You can also make the straightforward dressing with a light or extra sturdy olive oil, relying on what you favor.
- Vinegar – Pink wine vinegar is my first selection, however you should utilize white wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or balsamic.
- Feta Cheese – Conventional shopska salad recipes use a brined cheese known as sirene. It’s much like feta, solely milder. I take advantage of feta cheese because it’s available in most shops. Goat cheese or shaved Parmesan cheese are additionally good options.
- Parsley – Freshly chopped. You may also use basil.
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Mix the veggies. Place the chopped tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and onions in a big serving bowl.
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Toss with dressing. Add salt, pepper, oil, and vinegar to a bowl and whisk to mix. Pour the dressing over the salad combination, toss it, and blend till properly blended. Style for seasonings and modify accordingly.
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Add cheese. High with crumbled feta cheese and sprinkle with contemporary chopped parsley.
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Chill and serve. Refrigerate for about 20 minutes, or till prepared to make use of. Serve.
Energy: 62kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 2g | Fats: 3g | Saturated Fats: 1g | Ldl cholesterol: 11mg | Sodium: 145mg | Potassium: 269mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 740IU | Vitamin C: 15.7mg | Calcium: 82mg | Iron: 0.5mg
Dietary information is an estimate and offered as courtesy. Values could range in line with the components and instruments used. Please use your most well-liked dietary calculator for extra detailed information.
How one can Make Shopska Salad
The longest step is the chopping, however I’ll typically get my ladies concerned, and it goes shortly! To make this simple shopska salad the Macedonian approach, comply with alongside under:
- Get out a big serving bowl. Add your chopped tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and onions.
- Make the French dressing. In one other bowl, whisk collectively the salt, pepper, oil, and vinegar. Pour the dressing over the chopped salad.
- Toss, then add cheese. Toss the salad with the French dressing. Give {that a} style and modify the seasonings as wanted, then crumble over the feta cheese. Sprinkle the salad with chopped parsley.
- Chill and serve. Refrigerate the salad for a minimum of 20 minutes so all of the flavors have an opportunity to mingle. This can be a nice salad to prep the day earlier than, too. When it’s time to serve, go across the forks, and revel in!
Storing Leftovers
Shopska salad shops very properly within the fridge for as much as 3-4 days. Retailer leftovers hermetic and revel in them for simple lunches. I wish to high my leftover salad with cooked rooster or fast air fryer salmon for a light-weight meal.
