Check out the best recipe for a Czech tomato and onion salad with vinegar. It is perfect for hot summer days and super easy to make. Ready in a flash and absolutely delicious!
➜ About This Recipe
If you were to ask a Czech what a typical Czech salad is, he would probably answer cucumber salad or this one made with fresh tomatoes and onions.
Basically, this salad is just ripe tomatoes sliced into wedges mixed with finely chopped onions, all tossed in a sweet and sour dressing with olive oil. It is that quick and easy to make!
In the Czech Republic, tomatoes ripen in July and August when they are at their sweetest and most flavorful thanks to the sun. That is why this tomato salad is a summer favorite-it is not only delicious but also super refreshing.
➜ How to say tomato in Czech
Let's see how to say tomato in Czech:
Rajče = tomato (singular)
Rajčata = tomatoes (plural)
And here is the Czech name of the recipe including the pronunciation (click on the audio clip): Rajčatový salát.
➜ Ingredients
Vegetables:
- Fresh tomatoes
- Yellow onion
For dressing:
- Olive oil - you can also use sunflower or canola oil
- Water - should be cold
- White wine vinegar - the amount of vinegar will always depend on the intensity of its flavor. Add the vinegar carefully in small batches and constantly taste the dressing after stirring to avoid it tasting too pungent or sour. In the photo, you can see the use of Czech vinegar, which is yellow in color and more acidic than US vinegar. The acidity of regular Czech vinegar is 8%.
- Granulated sugar
- Salt
- Black pepper - ground
✅ You'll find the exact amount of ingredients below in the recipe card, which you can also print out.
➜ Instructions
STEP 1: Wash the tomatoes and cut them into wedges.
STEP 2: Peel the onion and chop it finely.
STEP 3: Prepare the dressing: Pour the water, vinegar, and oil into a screw-top container. Add the salt, sugar, and pepper. Close the jar and shake until all the ingredients are combined.
STEP 4: Mix the tomato wedges with the chopped onion and place them in a salad bowl. Pour over them with the dressing. Vegetables should almost swim in the watery dressing.
➜ Serving
This tomato salad is usually served as a light side dish to the main meal. Eat it with a salad or regular spoon, or use a fork.
Serve immediately or chill the salad in the fridge.
➜ Tips for success
- For best results, use fresh, ripe tomatoes. Cherry tomatoes are also suitable for the salad.
- You can add freshly chopped green parsley, a typical Czech herb, to the salad. Use about ¼ teaspoon of leaves per serving.
- This type of tomato salad often appears on restaurant menus in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Don't forget to order it when you come to the Czech Republic!
More salad recipes
- Czech potato salad - Bramborový salát
- Lettuce salad with buttermilk dressing - Ledový salát s kefírem
- Creamy cucumber salad with garlic - Okurkový salát se smetanou a česnekem
Tried this recipe?
Leave a review down in the comments! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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📖 Recipe
Rajčatový salát - Czech Tomato Salad
Tap or hover to scale
Ingredients
Vegetables:
- 3 medium tomatoes fresh and ripe
- ½ small onion yellow or brown
Dressing:
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil (or sunflower oil/canola)
- 4 Tablespoons water cold
- 1 Tablespoon white wine vinegar 5% acidity
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 dash ground black pepper
Instructions
- Wash 3 medium tomatoes and cut them into wedges. Peel the ½ small onion and chop it finely.
- Prepare the dressing: Pour 4 Tablespoons water, 1 Tablespoon white wine vinegar, and 1 Tablespoon olive oil into a screw-top container. Add ¼ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon granulated sugar, and 1 dash ground black pepper. Close the jar and shake well until all the ingredients are combined.
- Toss the tomato wedges with the chopped onion and place them in a salad bowl. Pour the dressing over the vegetables, ensuring they are almost submerged in the watery mixture.
Notes
- The basic recipe makes 1 portion. If you want a larger yield, simply multiply the quantities in the recipe by the number of portions you need.
- SERVING: This tomato salad is usually served as a light side dish to the main meal. Enjoy it with a salad spoon, regular spoon, or fork. Serve immediately, or chill the salad in the fridge before serving.
- For best results, use fresh, ripe tomatoes. Cherry tomatoes are also suitable for the salad. If you use cherry tomatoes, which are smaller, increase the quantity proportionally.
- You can add freshly chopped green parsley, a typical Czech herb, to the salad. Use about ¼ teaspoon of parsley leaves per serving.
Milena says
my mom thought me the salad with mayonnaise or sour cream the rest is exactly the same the vinegar I use in cucumber salad I'm going to try it with the vinegar it sounds really good
Anicka Cooklikeczechs.com says
Thank you for your comment and feedback, Milena!
Hope you will be content with how the vinegar turns out - please, let me know afterwards! 🙂
Robert Edward Wilson says
great recipe
Anicka Cooklikeczechs.com says
Thank you for your kind feedback, Robert!
Katka says
Excellent. Just as I remember from growing up.
Anicka Cooklikeczechs.com says
Thank you for your comment and kind words, Katka!
Linda Katsoulis says
Petra,
My grandma Elizabeth from Hungary made this tomato dish all the time during the summer and taught me so I make it, as well. It is so refreshing. Sometimes she would add cucumbers to it. Thank you for bringing a beautiful memory to mind.
Linda Katsoulis
Petra Kupská says
Linda, thank you for sharing this. How lovely that your grandma Elizabeth from Hungary made it too, cucumbers and all. These simple summer dishes travel across borders and stay in the family. I am so happy it brought her back to you for a moment.
ann kottal says
Reminds me of a salad my mom would make using a bit of balsamic vinegar. Our tomatoes are getting ready to come in so I’ll me making this for a quick, easy meal often!
Petra Kupská says
Ann, a splash of balsamic sounds like a lovely twist, your mom knew what she was doing! There is nothing better than this salad made with tomatoes fresh from your own garden. Enjoy it all summer long.
Berkman Matthew Manuel says
I have been following your blog ever since our return from visiting your beautiful country. It was our first visit but we hope not the last. I have learned so much about the Czech people and culture from following your blog. Thank you!
The tomato salad was my first recipe to actually try, and it was so good! And so easy to put together. I used ripe tomatoes from our garden. It was the perfect side salad to the pork dish I prepared. And so refreshing during these HOT summer days here in the United States.
Thank you and your family for keeping this blog!
Petra Kupská says
What a lovely note, thank you. It means a great deal that our little country and its food stayed with you after your visit, and that this salad, made with your own garden tomatoes, was your first try. I hope it is the first of many, and that you make it back to us one day.
Geri Repass says
Yes! Oh, so simple and so good! This brings back so many memories! I grew up in the country in Ohio. My parents had a huge vegetable garden on our 2 acres and always juicy tomatoes. I remember having simple salads like this so often. Sometimes my mother would cut up a Klobas and put it in the salad, too. That with a piece of rye bread was heaven on a hot day!
Petra Kupská says
Geri, what a picture you painted: the garden, those juicy tomatoes, a little klobása (Czech sausage) and a slice of rye bread on a hot day. That is exactly the kind of simple food that tastes like home. Thank you for sharing this, it made me smile.
Lili says
I love this salad and make it all year round. The vinegar I use is seasoned vinegar with the acidity only at 4 or 4.5% - much less than the 8% and less than all other vinegars, flavoured or otherwise on our local grocery shelves which usually are 5% acidity. Because this vinegar already contains some sugar, I use less sugar on my salad. I usually add herbs - lately my favourite is tarragon, but any favourite herb will do. Many people prefer basil, but I like the lemony-liquorice-peppery flavour of tarragon. Thank you for posting all these wonderful Czech dishes, Petra. I love them all!
Petra Kupská says
Thank you so much for the reminder about vinegar acidity, Lili! Here in the Czech Republic we tend to have very strong 8% vinegar, so the amount always has to be adjusted to taste. Estragon is a wonderful idea as well. Thank you for sharing it!