Macedonian Shopska salad is THE summer time salad. As quickly because the scent of contemporary cucumber hits your nostril, I’m certain 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 all the pieces 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 elements 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 elements. Even higher when you have the veggies in your backyard!
• Make it prematurely. Since this salad wants a bit time to sit back within the fridge earlier than serving, it’s an ideal choice to make forward for events and holidays. 

Collect These Salad Elements

In her Mediterranean grandmotherly manner, my Baba had a knack for turning the best elements 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 beneath, and you’ll discover the complete printable recipe within the recipe card after the put up.

• Ripe Tomatoes – The ripest you will discover which might be plump, agency, and juicy. Good decisions are Roma tomatoes, vine tomatoes, and heirloom tomatoes. I prefer to roll bigger tomatoes gently in opposition to 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. When you can’t discover banana peppers, inexperienced bell peppers make 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; chances are you’ll simply want an additional Persian cucumber in the event that they’re on the smaller facet.
• Yellow Onion – Select a gentle yellow or white onion, like Vidalia or shallot. Crimson onion additionally goes properly on this salad.
• Olive Oil – High quality counts! You may make the easy dressing with a gentle or extra sturdy olive oil, relying on what you favor.
• Vinegar – Crimson 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 as well use basil.

How you can Make Shopska Salad

The longest step is the chopping, however I’ll typically get my women concerned, and it goes shortly! To make this straightforward shopska salad the Macedonian manner, observe alongside beneath:

• 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 alter the seasonings as wanted, then crumble over the feta cheese. Sprinkle the salad with chopped parsley.
• Chill and serve. Refrigerate the salad for not less than 20 minutes so all of the flavors have an opportunity to mingle. It is a nice salad to prep the day earlier than, too. When it’s time to serve, move across the forks, and luxuriate in!

Storing Leftovers

Shopska salad shops very nicely within the fridge for as much as 3-4 days. Retailer leftovers hermetic and luxuriate in them for straightforward lunches. I prefer to prime my leftover salad with cooked hen or fast air fryer salmon for a lightweight meal.