Name: Moravska salata
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Serbian cuisine
Ingredients: 600 g red sweet peppers, whole; 400 g ripe tomatoes, whole; 80 g leek, white and pale-green part; 10 g garlic, peeled; 10 g flat-leaf parsley, washed; 30 ml sunflower oil; 15 ml wine vinegar; 5 g fine salt; 1 g ground black pepper

Yield 4 servings

Preparation 30 minutes

Cooking 20 minutes

Passive 30 minutes

Ingredients ↓

Overview

Moravska Salata with Roasted Peppers and Tomato

Moravska salata is a juicy Serbian vegetable salad whose defining combination is roasted pepper with fresh tomato and garlic. Versions differ over leek, parsley, vinegar and heat, but cheese is not needed for the dish to be recognisable. Leaving cheese out also keeps its character distinct from Šopska-style salads, where a prominent white-cheese topping changes both texture and balance. Here, roasted red pepper provides sweetness and smoke, while raw tomato supplies fresh acidity and enough juice to bind the dressing.

The peppers receive the only substantial cooking. Roasting them whole at 230 °C blisters the skin and softens the flesh without boiling away flavour. A covered fifteen-minute rest after roasting traps steam around the skin and makes peeling easier. It is useful to drain obvious excess liquid, but not to squeeze the peppers dry: some roasting juice belongs in the salad and helps the oil and vinegar cling to the chopped vegetables.

Tomato, leek and garlic are kept raw. That makes washing and knife work important. Produce is rinsed under running water before cutting, and the leek is sliced very thinly so it behaves as a crisp aromatic rather than a tough onion substitute. Garlic is minced fine enough to distribute through every spoonful. Parsley is restrained; it should freshen the salad without taking over the roasted-pepper aroma.

The dressing is deliberately small. Thirty millilitres of sunflower oil and fifteen millilitres of wine vinegar are enough for four servings because the tomato and peppers supply their own liquid. Hard stirring would break the tomatoes and turn the bowl watery, so the ingredients are folded instead. A short refrigerator rest at 4 °C or below lets salt draw a little more juice from the vegetables and gives the garlic time to disperse.

Serve Moravska salata as a cool side to grilled or roasted foods, beans or bread. It is at its best the day it is mixed, while tomato edges are still defined and the pepper strips retain some body. Leftovers can be refrigerated, but the vegetables continue to soften, which is why a two-day quality window is more useful than making a large quantity for the week.

Practical

ControlRoasting the peppers separately concentrates their sweetness while leaving the tomato raw and juicy.
ControlDrain only the excess pepper liquid; removing all of it makes the salad less integrated.
ControlFold rather than stir hard so the salad keeps a rustic chopped texture.

Ingredients

Roasted-vegetable salad

600 g red sweet peppers, whole
400 g ripe tomatoes, whole
80 g leek, white and pale-green part
10 g garlic, peeled
10 g flat-leaf parsley, washed
30 ml sunflower oil
15 ml wine vinegar
5 g fine salt
1 g ground black pepper

Directions

Roast and peel the peppers

Wash the vegetablesRinse the 600 g peppers, 400 g tomatoes, 80 g leek and 10 g parsley thoroughly under running water; dry the peppers before roasting. The vegetables should be free of visible soil and the pepper skins dry enough to blister rather than steam.
Roast the peppersRoast the whole peppers at 230 °C, turning once or twice so all sides blister and soften. The peppers are ready when the skins are blistered and dark in patches and the flesh has softened without collapsing into purée.
Steam and cool the peppersTransfer the hot peppers to a covered bowl and rest them until cool enough to peel. The skins should loosen readily from the flesh after the covered rest.
Peel and chop the peppersRemove skins, stems and seeds, let excess juice drain briefly, then cut the flesh into broad strips or small pieces. The pepper pieces should stay distinct rather than becoming mashed.

Mix and chill

Cut the fresh vegetablesDice the tomatoes, slice the leek thinly, mince the garlic and chop the parsley. The leek should be thin enough to eat raw and the garlic finely distributed rather than left in large pieces.
Dress the saladCombine peppers, tomatoes, leek, garlic and parsley with 30 ml sunflower oil, 15 ml wine vinegar, 5 g salt and 1 g black pepper; fold gently. The vegetables should be evenly coated while the tomato pieces still hold their shape.
Chill before servingRefrigerate the salad at 4 °C or below before serving. The salad is ready to serve when it is cool throughout and a small pool of pepper-tomato juices has formed without the vegetables becoming waterlogged.

Practical

Serving

Spoon some of the collected pepper-tomato juices over each portion rather than draining the bowl. The liquid is part of the salad's character and carries garlic and vinegar.

Advance preparation

Roast, peel and refrigerate the peppers several hours ahead. Cut tomato and leek near serving time so their texture stays fresh.

Cold storage

Keep the finished salad at 4 °C or below and refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours. Use within 2 days for the best texture; discard portions held warm beyond safe limits.

Control points

Salad becomes watery immediatelyGuidance: The tomatoes were crushed during mixing or the peppers carried a large amount of trapped roasting liquid.Adjustment: Drain the peppers briefly and fold the salad gently after the tomatoes are cut.
Raw leek dominatesGuidance: The slices are too thick.Adjustment: Use only the white and pale-green part and slice it very thinly before mixing.

Nutrition

Serving sizeAbout 275 g
Calories145 kcal
Carbohydrates18 g
Protein3 g
Fat8 g
Fibre5 g
Sodium500 mg

These figures are approximate and vary with ingredient brands, edible yield, moisture loss, trimming, absorption and portion size.

Allergens and food safety

No major allergen is inherent in the listed ingredients; check vinegar handling and kitchen cross-contact where relevant. Rinse all fresh produce under running water before cutting. Keep the finished salad refrigerated at 4 °C or below and refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours.

FAQ

Does Moravska salata contain cheese?

No. Roasted pepper, tomato and garlic are the core, with leek and parsley supporting them. Adding a blanket of white cheese would move the salad toward a different Balkan salad profile.

Can the peppers be roasted the day before?

Yes. Peel and refrigerate them covered, then cut and mix with the fresh ingredients shortly before serving.

Result: Moravska salata combines smoky roasted red peppers with ripe tomato, leek, garlic and a light oil-vinegar dressing, keeping the vegetables chunky and the salad distinctly cheese-free.

Key: Roasting the peppers separately concentrates their sweetness while leaving the tomato raw and juicy.