Santorini Salad

Published on September 25, 2019 | By
summer salad

Santorini, one of the Cyclades Islands in Greece, is as close as I believe that I will ever get to paradise. I visited Santorini, Mykonos, and Naxos several years ago for one of my “big birthdays.” My fondest memory is of climbing down from the cliffs in Oia to a rocky terrace at the edge of the sea to a small outdoor taverna. There we were able to dine on freshly caught and grilled redfish and sea bass that had just been pulled from the crystal clear waters of the Aegean.

My friend Beverly brought this salad over to my house one evening when we were at the beach. She swears that she was served this salad frequently during her visit to Santorini so she refers to it as the Santorini Salad. Although I do not recall eating this particular salad while there, I was happy to include this in my repertoire of Greek recipes and memories of my visit to the magnificent white washed island of Santorini on the sparkling Aegean Sea.

This hearty salad made with the delicate and tiny pasta acini de pepe can be served as a main course or as a side particularly to accompany whole grilled fish.

    • Prep Time
    • Minutes
    • Cook Time
    • Minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 cups acini de pepe
  • 5 cups chicken broth or water
  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 2 cucumbers, seeded and diced
  • 1 yellow bell pepper, sliced and diced
  • 12 Kalamata olives
  • 1/3 cup feta, cut into small squares
  • 2 TBSP capers
  • 1/2 tsp oregano
  • Salad dressing:
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
  • 1 lemon, juiced
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp oregano
  • 6-8 anchovy fillets, optional

Instructions

  1. Bring the chicken broth or water to a boil. Add acini, bring back to a boil and cook until tender for about 10 minutes. Drain in a colander and rinse with cool water. Set aside.
  2. While the acini is cooking, prepare and chop the vegetables. Place the chopped tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers in a bowl large enough to hold all the ingredients. At this point, I like to sprinkle the chopped vegetables with a tablespoon of red wine vinegar and about 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper and 1/2 tsp oregano. Mix well.
  3. When the acini has cooled add it to the vegetable mixture and combine well. Add black olives, feta and capers.
  4. Make salad dressing. Combine lemon juice and garlic in a small mixing bowl. Slowly whisk in olive oil. Add salt and oregano.
  5. Pour dressing over the acini and vegetables . Toss gently to combine. You can also prepare this salad as a composed salad or salade composee. I also sometimes arrange the salad on a bed of mixed greens. If you and your guests like anchovies, you can add the whole anchovy fillets at the end before serving.
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