This Shopska salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and feta is a fresh and delightful Croatian or Bulgarian dish, making the perfect side dish for summer.
The Croatian Shopska salad or similar salads are popular all over Eastern Europe; they are refreshing, flavorful, and made with ripe, fresh produce. Perfect during the hot summer months.
Check out more delightful Eastern European recipes to make this summer: Ajvar, Romanian Zacusca Recipe, or Gibanica - Cheese Pie.
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What is shopska salad?
Shopska salad is one of the most popular salads in the Balkans and Eastern Europe. Iโve been eating a version of it all my life without knowing its name.
It originated in Bulgariaโs Shopluk region in the 1960s as part of a socialist tourism campaign. Today, itโs a staple across the Balkans, similar to Greek salad (with olives) or Turkish รoban salad.
In 2014, Shopska salad was voted the most popular food in Europe in the โTastes of Europeโ competition, followed by Lithuanian beet soup and Romanian sarmale. Yuppy! My beloved sarmale made it in the top 3!
Recipe ingredients
Tomatoes: I used a large, ripe beefsteak tomato (12.5 oz/350 g), but 2-3 regular ripe, sweet tomatoes work too. Underripe ones will ruin the salad.
Cucumbers: Mini cucumbers are crunchier and tastier, but regular ones work. If they have many seeds, scrape them out to avoid excess water.
Peppers: I used red, yellow, and green fresh peppers, as we had them in Croatia, but roasted peppers are also an option Iโd love to try.
Cheese: Traditional Shopska salad uses Bulgarian sirene, a brined white cheese found across the Balkans. A creamy feta in brine is a great substitute - Croatian versions were so creamy they were smeared rather than crumbled on top.
Oil: Many Shopska salad recipes use olive oil, which is fine, but the best one we had in Croatia was definitely made with sunflower oil - I could taste it.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to make shopska salad?
Step #1: Clean and chop all the vegetables. Mix them in a large bowl.
Step #2: Dressing: Whisk sunflower oil, red wine vinegar, fine sea salt, and pepper. Add to salad and combine.
Step #3: Crumble the creamy feta on top, or mash it with a fork and smear it over the salad. Adjust the taste with salt, pepper, and more vinegar if needed.
Storage
The Croatian shopska salad is best served immediately or on the day you make it, but leftovers the next day are fine as well.
What to serve with it?
Croatian Shopska Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 large beefsteak tomato Note 1
- 3 mini cucumbers Note 2
- 3 bell peppers red, yellow and green
- 1 medium onion red or white
- 1 handful fresh parsley
- 3 tablespoons sunflower oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar to taste
- 1 cup feta cheese Note 3
- fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Chop the tomatoes into cubes. Halve and chop the mini cucumbers. If using a large cucumber, remove the seeds with a tablespoon. Chop the bell peppers. Finely chop the onion and the parsley.1 large beefsteak tomato + 3 mini cucumbers + 3 bell peppers + 1 medium onion + 1 handful fresh parsley
- Mix all the vegetables in a large bowl.
- Dressing: Whisk sunflower oil, red wine vinegar, fine sea salt, and pepper. Add to the salad and stir.3 tablespoons sunflower oil + 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar + fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Crumble the creamy feta on top of the salad. Sprinkle cheese on the salad or mash it with a fork and smear on top of the salad. You can also crumble it and stir it into the salad.1 cup feta cheese
- Adjust the taste with salt and pepper and more vinegar if you like it.
Notes
- Tomatoes: Iย used one about 12.5 oz/ 350 g, but 2-3 regular tomatoes work too. Just make sure theyโre ripe and sweet - unripe ones would ruin the salad.
- Cucumber: Each about 6 inches/ 15 cm long. You can use a regular long cucumber, but remove the seeds unless serving immediately, as they can make the salad watery over time.
- Feta: Preferably use Bulgarian or Balkan-style sirene (brined white cheese), but a creamy, tasty feta works too.
Balvinder says
One of my fav. It's interesting how the same combo of salad ingredients are known by different names in different cultures.
Kelly | Foodtasia says
Adina, such a lovely salad! So fresh and colorful and the feta cheese - Yum!
angiesrecipes says
That's the combo I love to use in my salad too, but didn't know it's a specialty from Balkan...really fresh and tasty!