Sallatë Shqiptare — Print Recipe

A vibrant, crunchy salad of ripe tomatoes, crisp cucumbers, raw onions, and briny feta cheese dressed simply with olive oil and dried oregano. This refreshing accompaniment appears at every Albanian meal.

Ingredients

4 ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges
2 cucumbers, peeled and sliced
1 red onion, thinly sliced into rings
150g feta cheese, crumbled
12 Kalamata olives
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Salt to taste

Instructions

1 Choose ripe, fragrant tomatoes at room temperature for the best flavor. Cut them into wedges and arrange in a wide, shallow serving bowl or platter. Season lightly with salt to draw out their juices.
2 Peel the cucumbers in alternating strips for a decorative look and slice them into 5mm thick rounds. Scatter them over and around the tomato wedges in the serving bowl.
3 Separate the red onion slices into individual rings and distribute them evenly over the tomatoes and cucumbers. For a milder flavor, soak the onion rings in cold water for 5 minutes before adding.
4 Crumble the feta cheese generously over the top of the vegetables, letting the pieces fall naturally in irregular chunks. Scatter the Kalamata olives across the salad.
5 Drizzle the extra virgin olive oil evenly over the entire salad, followed by the red wine vinegar. Sprinkle the dried oregano over the top and add a final pinch of salt.
6 Serve immediately without tossing. Albanian tradition calls for each person to mix their own portion on their plate, allowing everyone to get the right balance of vegetables, cheese, and dressing to their preference.

Did You Know?

Albanian cooks insist that the tomatoes must be at room temperature, never refrigerated, for the best flavor. They also argue that the olive oil should be poured first on the vegetables, then the salt, never the reverse, to prevent the vegetables from wilting.