Traditional Balkan Salad (Shopska Salad)
Diced tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers with a simple oil and vinegar dressing, buried under a snowy layer of finely grated white cheese.
Walk into almost any restaurant between Sofia, Skopje, Belgrade and Tirana and there will be a version of this salad on the menu. It's known best as shopska salata, and its defining feature is the cheese: instead of cubes or a slab, white cheese is grated finely over the top so it covers the vegetables like snow.
It's made to go with everything — grilled meat, bean stew, a slice of pie — and in summer, with really ripe tomatoes, it's hard to beat.
The traditional recipe uses roasted peppers, which add sweetness, but raw peppers are just as common at home and make this a true 15-minute salad.
Traditional Balkan Salad (Shopska Salad)
- Prep Time
- 15 min
- Cook Time
- No cooking
- Total Time
- 15 min
- Servings
- 4
- Calories
- 190 kcal*
- Difficulty
- Easy
Ingredients
Instructions
Chop the vegetables
Dice the tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers into roughly 1.5 cm (½ in) pieces. Slice the onion very thinly. Put everything in a bowl with the parsley.
Dress
Add the oil, vinegar and salt and toss gently. Taste — ripe tomatoes may need a little more vinegar, watery ones a little more salt.
Add the cheese
Transfer to a serving plate. Finely grate the cold cheese over the top so it completely covers the salad. Garnish with a whole hot pepper, if you like, and serve straight away.
Tips & Tricks
- Chill the cheese in the freezer for 10 minutes before grating — it grates into fine, fluffy shreds instead of clumping.
- Dress the salad right before serving so the vegetables stay crisp.
Substitutions
- Oil: Sunflower oil is traditional in Bulgaria; olive oil is more common in Albania and Greece. Use what you like.
- Cheese: Feta, Albanian djathë i bardhë or Bulgarian sirene all work.
Storage Instructions
- Best eaten fresh. Undressed chopped vegetables keep for a day in the fridge; add dressing and cheese just before serving.
Serving Suggestions
- Serve alongside Balkan Bean Stew, Albanian Qofte or anything off the grill.
- In the Balkans it's also a classic accompaniment to a small glass of rakia before dinner.
Nutrition Information
Per serving
- Calories
- 190 kcal
- Carbohydrates
- 9 g
- Protein
- 7 g
- Fat
- 15 g
- Saturated fat
- 5 g
- Fiber
- 2 g
- Sugar
- 6 g
- Sodium
- 480 mg
* Nutrition values are estimates calculated from the ingredient list and will vary with brands and portion sizes. See our disclaimer.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between shopska salad and Greek salad?
Shopska salad is diced smaller, often includes peppers and parsley, and has the cheese grated finely over the top. A Greek village salad uses chunkier vegetables, olives and oregano, and is crowned with a whole slab of feta.
