When ripe summer tomatoes are at their best, this is the salad Czechs make. Fresh tomato salad, known in Czech as rajčatový salát, turns them into a cool, refreshing side that tastes like a Czech garden in August.
What is Czech tomato salad? It is a simple tomato and onion salad made with tomato wedges and finely chopped onion, tossed with a light sweet-and-sour dressing of water, vinegar, oil, sugar, and salt.
There is no cooking involved, the whole salad takes about 15 minutes, and it is hard to mess up. Czechs eat it alongside the main meal, as a fresh counterpoint to heavier dishes. The recipe came to our family from my aunt Věra one summer years ago, and having made it countless times since, I know exactly what makes it good.
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➜ Best tips to make Czech tomato salad
- Use fully ripe tomatoes. With so few ingredients, ripe and flavorful tomatoes carry most of the taste. Sweet cherry tomatoes work well too.
- Chop the onion finely. Small pieces season the whole dressing instead of overpowering single bites.
- Season in small steps and taste as you go. Add a little sugar or salt at a time until the sweet and sour sit in balance; the dressing should taste refreshing, not sharp.
Every summer, when my greenhouse fills up faster than we can eat, this salad is my go-to answer, and it has never let anyone down.
"Excellent. Just as I remember from growing up."
Katka
Another delicious way to use up a summer batch is my homemade fresh tomato soup. And if Czech salads are your thing, try a lettuce salad with buttermilk dressing, a creamy cucumber salad with garlic, or my tomato and cheese salad with creamy dressing next.
Czech pronunciation
Curious how rajčatový salát sounds in Czech? Say RYE-cha-toh-vee SAH-laat. One tomato is rajče, more of them are rajčata, and that is the word this salad takes its name from. I recorded a short audio clip for you, so click and listen.
➜ Ingredients
✅ See the recipe below with step-by-step photos and many helpful tips. Scroll down for the full printable recipe in both US cups and metric measurements.
- Tomatoes, pick ones that are fully ripe but still firm, so the wedges hold their shape in the dressing. In season, garden or farmers market tomatoes beat supermarket ones every time.
- Yellow onion, it gives the salad its gentle bite without taking over. A brown onion works the same way.
- Olive oil, my choice for the best taste. Czechs also commonly reach for sunflower or canola oil, and both work fine here.
- Vinegar, the sour half of the dressing. I used apple cider vinegar with 5% acidity. If yours is stronger or weaker, adjust the other seasoning ingredients to match. For the curious: traditional Czech vinegar (kvasný lihový ocet) has 8% acidity, while American distilled white vinegar has about 4%.
- Cold water, it turns the vinegar and oil into a light, thin dressing the vegetables almost swim in. That is how Czech salads are made.
- Granulated sugar and salt, sugar softens the vinegar's edge, salt lifts the tomato flavor.
- Ground black pepper, just a dash to round it off.
➜ How to make Czech tomato salad
STEP 1: Prepare the tomatoes. Wash the tomatoes and cut them into wedges.
STEP 2: Chop the onion. Peel the onion and chop it finely.
STEP 3: Make the dressing. Pour the water, vinegar, and oil into a small jar with a screw-top lid (a mason jar works great). Add the sugar, salt, and pepper, close the jar, and shake until everything is blended. Taste the dressing and adjust the seasoning if needed.
STEP 4: Put the salad together. Place the tomatoes and onion in a bowl and pour the dressing over them. Give everything a gentle stir, and the salad is ready.
➜ How to serve and eat Czech tomato salad
The salad comes to the table in its own small bowl set beside the plate, the same way we serve vinegar cucumber salad: the dressing is too thin and watery for a flat plate. Eat it with a small spoon, scooping up some tomato along with a little of the dressing. When the vegetables are gone, many Czechs simply drink the rest.
You will find this salad on restaurant menus across the Czech Republic and Slovakia; at home it is wonderful next to breaded pork schnitzel or a slice of Czech meatloaf (sekaná). Dobrou chuť!
➜ How to store tomato salad
This salad is best the day you make it. It will keep in the fridge until the next day, covered, but the tomatoes slowly soak up the dressing and lose their crispness. Do not freeze it; thawed tomatoes turn mushy.
➜ FAQ
In the Czech Republic, it is called rajčatový salát, a tomato and onion salad in a sweet and sour dressing of vinegar, water, and a little sugar. Similar tomato salads are popular across Central Europe, from Poland to Slovakia, each country with its own twist.
Your vinegar is probably stronger than the one the recipe was written for. Stir in a splash of cold water and a pinch of sugar, taste, and repeat until the dressing is balanced.
No, this salad does not need any marinating time. You can serve it right after pouring the dressing over, or let it chill in the fridge for a short while if you prefer it cold.
Absolutely, yes. It might not be the traditional way, but cucumbers and tomatoes are a great match, and they make a pleasant twist on this salad.
Tried this recipe?
Leave a review down in the comments! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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📖 Recipe
Czech Tomato and Onion Salad
Tap or hover to scale
This recipe was developed in grams. For the most accurate results, tap the purple METRIC toggle and use a kitchen scale.
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh tomatoes ripe but firm
- ½ small yellow onion
- 4 Tablespoons cold water cold
- 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar 5% acidity
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil or sunflower or canola oil
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 dash ground black pepper
Instructions
- Wash 1 pound fresh tomatoes, cut them into wedges, and place them in a bowl.
- Peel ½ small yellow onion, chop it finely, and add it to the tomatoes.
- Pour 4 Tablespoons cold water, 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar, and 1 Tablespoon olive oil into a small jar with a screw-top lid. Add 1 teaspoon granulated sugar, ¼ teaspoon salt, and 1 dash ground black pepper, close the jar, and shake until blended. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
- Pour the dressing over the vegetables and stir gently. Serve right away or chilled.
Notes
- No kitchen scale? One medium tomato weighs about 5 oz (150 g); for the basic recipe you need about 3.
- Vinegar: This recipe was developed with apple cider vinegar at 5% acidity. Czech vinegar has 8%, American distilled white vinegar about 4%; with a stronger or weaker vinegar, adjust the water and sugar to taste.
- Tomatoes: Use fully ripe but firm tomatoes; their flavor carries the salad.
- How to eat: Serve the salad in its own small bowl beside the plate. Eat it with a small spoon, and feel free to drink the leftover dressing like a Czech.
- Store: Best fresh. Keeps covered in the fridge until the next day, but the tomatoes soften. Do not freeze.
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!