Šopska salad
Šopska salad, a traditional side dish originating from the Balkans, is a vibrant and refreshing addition to any meal. Known for its simple yet flavorful ingredients, this salad is a staple in countries such as Bulgaria, Serbia, and North Macedonia. The primary components include fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, and often bell peppers, all chopped and mixed together. What sets Šopska salad apart is the generous topping of grated white brined cheese, typically sirene or feta, which adds a salty, creamy contrast to the crisp vegetables. Finished with a drizzle of sunflower or olive oil and a sprinkling of parsley, this salad is both a feast for the eyes and the palate, embodying the essence of Balkan cuisine with its emphasis on fresh, locally sourced produce.
Šopska salad is naturally vegetarian and can be easily adapted to suit vegan diets by omitting the cheese or using a plant-based alternative. In our case, we will make our own feta-like cheese substitute!
Note: like in all our dishes, onions are not part of this recipe. A slight off-step from the original, but raw onions are pure medicine and we don’t recommend to use them.
What do we need to prepare our Šopska salad
- Ripe tomatoes
- Cucumber
- Red bell pepper (optional) – the salad becomes more “exciting” adding peppers. However, as had none at home, which was perfectly fine as we love the simplicity of a tomato-cucumber combo, our pictures won’t feature any.
- Good olive oil – also sunflower oil is often used. We prefer olive oil!
- Vinegar (I used the salty-sour liquid of capers in a jar!)
- Fresh herbs (optional)
- Almonds, bleached, in flakes or sticks
- Lemon juice
- Nutritional yeast
- Salt and pepper
Ok, so let’s get started!
Šopska salad
Equipment
- 1 immersion blender
Ingredients
For the vegan feta
- 1/2 cup almonds blanched those in flakes or sticks
- 1/2-3/4 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp nutritional yeast
- salt
For the salad
- 2 ripe tomatoes
- 1/3 cucumber
- 1/2 red pepper optional
- olive oil
- vinegar tipp: if you have capers, take some of the liquid!
- fresh herbs optional
Instructions
- Soak the almonds in hot water for 30 mins or more (best overnight).
- Drain the almonds, preserving approximately 1 spoonful of the liquid.
- Blend the almonds, some lemon juice, the nutritional yeast and some salt with the immersion blender until well blended, but still a bit chunky (you should taste the almonds on your tongue!).
- Cut the tomatoes (and the pepper) in pieces.
- Peel and cut the cucumber in cubes.
- In a bowl, combine the tomatoes and cucumber pieces, season with oil, vinegar, salt and pepper.
- Add some chopped fresh herbs, sprinkle with the vegan feta-ish cheese and serve.