Greek Cucumber Salad
Crisp cucumber and tomato with olives and a thick slab of feta, dressed simply with olive oil, vinegar and oregano.
Ingredients & method
Method
Amounts inside the steps follow the servings dial, so you never have to hold the arithmetic in your head.
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Cut the vegetables
Cut the 600 g Cucumbers into thick half-moons and the 300 g Tomatoes into wedges. Thinly slice the 1 Red onion, medium.
Rustic, chunky pieces are what make this horiatiki rather than a fine-diced imitation.
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Build the salad
In a large bowl, combine the cucumber, tomato and onion with the 100 g Kalamata olives. Place the 200 g Feta cheese on top as a single slab or large cubes.
Keeping the feta in a block rather than crumbling it is the traditional Greek presentation and keeps it from disappearing into the vegetables' juices.
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Whisk the dressing
In a small bowl, whisk together the 4 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil, 1 tbsp Red wine vinegar, 1 tsp Dried oregano, Salt to taste and Black pepper, freshly ground to taste.
Emulsifying the oil and vinegar separately gives an even coating instead of oily pools and sharp vinegar patches.
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Dress and rest
Pour the dressing over the salad and toss the vegetables gently, taking care not to break up the feta. Let it sit for 10 minutes before serving.
A short rest lets the vegetables take up the dressing without the salt drawing out so much water that the salad turns watery.
About
Horiatiki, the "village salad" of Greece, is younger than it looks. Tomatoes only reached Greek kitchens in the nineteenth century, and cucumber-and-tomato salads were a peasant's summer lunch long before feta joined them — carried to the fields wrapped in a cloth, eaten with the hands, no oil poured until there was a plate to catch it.
Feta arrived by accident of economics. In the 1960s the Greek government capped what tavernas could charge for a plain tomato-cucumber salad. An Athens cook added a slab of feta on top and could then, legally, sell it as a different dish altogether — at a different price. Diners loved it, other tavernas copied it, and "horiatiki" — cut in rustic wedges, never diced fine — became the version the world now calls Greek salad.
This cucumber-forward take leans into the salad's oldest instinct: cucumber and tomato as the base, a scatter of red onion and briny olives, and a thick block of feta rather than crumbles, all finished with olive oil, a splash of vinegar and dried oregano at the table.
Cook’s notes
Cut the feta in cubes or a single slab rather than crumbling it — that is the difference between horiatiki and an imitation.
Salt the tomatoes and cucumber only just before serving; salted this far ahead they weep water and turn the dressing thin.
Health benefits
- Cucumber is over 95% water, so this salad is genuinely hydrating and very low in calories for its volume.
- Tomatoes contribute lycopene, an antioxidant linked to heart and skin health, which is better absorbed alongside the fat from olive oil and feta.
- Extra virgin olive oil supplies mostly monounsaturated fat, the same fat associated with the benefits of the wider Mediterranean diet.
- Feta and olives add calcium, protein and healthy fats in a small package.
General information about the ingredients, not advice about you. Nothing here is a medical or dietary recommendation, and no dish treats or prevents any condition. If you are managing a health condition, pregnant, or on a prescribed diet, ask a doctor or a dietitian.
Cons & who should be cautious
- Feta and olives are both salty; together they push this dish's sodium higher than most salads, so it needs care from anyone managing blood pressure or on a salt-restricted diet.
- Olive oil is heart-healthy but still calorie-dense — four tablespoons across a serving adds up, so keep portions modest if you are watching calories.
- Feta is a dairy product, so this is not suitable for anyone who is lactose intolerant or follows a vegan diet unless a plant-based feta alternative is used.
- Olives and feta are not appropriate for a strict low-sodium diet without adjustment.
Not a complete allergen declaration. Ingredient lists describe what we used and cannot account for cross-contamination or what your particular brand contains, so check the packaging of everything you cook with.
Nutrition facts (estimated)
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