Shopska Salad Recipe – Bulgarian Tomato Cucumber Salad

Shopska salad (Shopska salata or Bulgarian tomato and cucumber salad) is on the table at almost every meal in Bulgaria from June to September. I grew up eating it, my parents grew up eating it, and every family — including mine — makes it a little differently. This is my version: ripe tomatoes, crisp cucumbers, raw peppers, and a layer of crumbled sirene, ready in about 15 minutes.

The one thing I never skip: salting the vegetables and letting them sit for 10 minutes. The salt pulls the juices out of the tomatoes, and those juices — plus olive oil and a splash of vinegar — are the entire dressing. Skip the resting time and the salad tastes flat.

What Is Shopska Salad?

Shopska salad is Bulgaria’s national salad — chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and onion, covered completely with white brine cheese.

It’s named after the Shopi, the people from the region around Sofia, and the finished bowl shows the colors of the Bulgarian flag: red tomatoes, white cheese, green peppers and parsley.

Every Balkan country has a close cousin of this salad, but the blanket of cheese on top is what sets the Bulgarian one apart.

How to Make Shopska Salad

The whole salad comes together in one bowl, and the salt does the first 10 minutes of work for you.

Peeling the tomatoes is optional, I personally prefer them peeled when very ripe.

Cut the tomatoes into bite-sized pieces, halve the cucumber lengthwise and slice it thin, cut the pepper into rings, and slice the onion. Combine everything in a large bowl with the parsley.

Sprinkle the salt over the vegetables and let them stand for 10 minutes, until juice pools at the bottom of the bowl.

Add the vinegar and olive oil and toss gently.

Crumble the cheese over the top, add the olives if using, and serve right away.

The Cheese: Sirene, Not Exactly Feta, but Feta can be used

The right cheese is Bulgarian sirene — a white brine cheese made from cow’s milk, or sheep’s milk if you like a stronger taste.

Feta is the closest substitute and works well. At home I crumble it over the top with my hands — restaurants in Bulgaria grate it into a fine snow that covers the whole bowl.

Either way, the cheese goes over the salad, never mixed in.

Tips

Red, yellow, white, or green onion — all of them work. I usually reach for red because it looks right against the white cheese.

The best tomato for shopska is the Bulgarian pink tomato (rozov domat) — sweet, heavy, and juicy. I haven’t found the real thing in the US, but ripe heirlooms from the farmer’s market come close.

I use seedless cucumbers, English or Persian. If yours are waxed with big seeds, scoop the seeds out — they water down the salad and aren’t pleasant to eat.

Green peppers are the classic, but I use raw red ones — same crunch, a little sweeter. Roasted red peppers are also traditional, and plenty of Bulgarians swear by them. Cubanelle peppers are my pick when I can find them: thin walls, crisp bite.

FAQs For Shopska Salad Recipe

Can I make shopska salad ahead of time?
No — once salted and dressed, it goes soggy within about 30 minutes. What I do for guests: cut all the vegetables earlier in the day and keep them in an airtight container in the fridge, then add the salt, oil, and cheese right before we sit down.

Can I use cherry or grape tomatoes?
Yes — halve them, and no peeling needed since their skins are thin. They release less juice than large tomatoes, so give them the full 10 minutes with the salt.

Is shopska salad low carb?
Yes — about 9 grams of carbs per serving. It’s vegetables, cheese, and olive oil, nothing else, so it’s my default side when we’re eating low carb without anyone noticing.

What’s the difference between shopska salad and Greek salad?
They look similar but eat differently. Greek salad is built around kalamata olives, oregano, and big slabs of feta — here the olives are just a garnish. Shopska is also chopped smaller, so every forkful mixes together instead of eating one big piece at a time.