Choriatiki - Greek salad - Healthy Food Guide

Choriatiki – Greek salad

Recreate the flavours of a Mediterranean getaway with this easy Greek salad – just 20 minutes to big, bold taste!

This is an edited extract from The Greek Islands Cookbook – Simple sun-kissed recipes by Carolina Doriti. Published by Murdoch Books. RRP$39.99

Serves: 2-4 (serving 4 as a side)

Time to make: 20 mins

Ingredients

More weights & measures

2 ripe tomatoes, about 400g (or cherry tomatoes)
pinch of sugar (optional)
½ cucumber or 1 small cucumber
½ large green capsicum (about 80g, or 1 small), deseeded and thinly sliced
½ large onion (or 1 small)
6–7 good-quality black olives (such as Kalamata)
60ml olive oil
1 tablespoon vinegar (optional)
1½ teaspoons dried oregano
150g xinomizithra or feta
1–2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and dried
sea salt
fresh crusty bread, to serve

Instructions

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1 Cut the tomatoes into bite-sized pieces (or halve cherry tomatoes) and place in a bowl. If the tomatoes are not very sweet, sprinkle them with a pinch of sugar, mix well and let them sit for 10–15 minutes.

2 Peel the cucumber (unless it is very fresh). Cut the cucumber in half lengthways and slice it into chunks about 1–1.5cm thick. Cut the capsicum into thin slices. Peel and halve the onion, then cut it into thin slices. Add the cucumber, capsicum, onion and olives to the bowl with the tomatoes.

3 Mix 2 tablespoons of the olive oil with the vinegar and drizzle it over the salad. Sprinkle in 1 teaspoon of the dried oregano, season with salt and toss well.

4 Place the cheese on top, then spoon the capers around and over the cheese. Drizzle the remaining olive oil over the salad and sprinkle on the remaining dried oregano. Break up the cheese in the bowl. Serve immediately with fresh bread.

HFG tip

For the perfect Greek salad, the tomatoes should be ripe, sweet and never refrigerated. Storing tomatoes in the fridge prevents them from ripening properly and ruins their texture. If you cannot find ripe tomatoes, opt for the sweetest variety available – cherry tomatoes are a safe choice. When using larger tomatoes, as they usually do in Greece, I particularly love it when the tomato is peeled, especially if the tomatoes are thick skinned.

Nutrition Info (per serve)

Calories 275 cal

Kilojoules 1150 kJ

Protein 8 g

Total fat 23 g

Saturated fat 7 g

Carbohydrates 5.5 g

Sugar 5.5 g

Dietary fibre 4 g

Sodium 560 mg

Calcium 155 mg

Iron 1.2 mg

Note: This nutrition analysis is a guide only. Nutrition composition will vary depending on the exact ingredients used. See our guides on your optimal daily nutrition intake, and supermarket shopping.