At the turn of the last century, many Greek immigrants settled in the Detroit area and established businesses and restaurants in a neighborhood that is now known as Greektown. Among these businesses were diners serving Greek food and Coney Island restaurants serving chili sauce-covered hot dogs (aka Coney Island hot dogs). But another unique item you’ll find on menus in diners and Coney Island spots across Detroit is the Detroit Greek salad.

This Americanized version of a traditional Greek salad combines the classic ingredients—cucumbers, red onions, tomatoes, olives and feta cheese—with a few unexpected toppings, including chickpeas and pickled beets.

Ingredients for Detroit Greek Salad

• Iceberg lettuce: Unlike traditional Greek salads that don’t include leafy greens, many Americanized versions like this one incorporate shredded lettuce. Regardless of the method you use to shred lettuce, don’t skip rinsing and drying the shredded leaves to remove any dirt or grit. A salad spinner is a great tool for this task.
• Red onion: Sliced red onion adds a sharp, zesty flavor to the salad. If you prefer a milder onion flavor, soak the sliced onion in ice water for five to ten minutes and shake the onion slices dry before adding them to the salad.
• English cucumber: This type of cucumber is seedless and has a thinner skin and milder flavor than other varieties.
• Grape tomatoes: These tasty tomatoes are small in size and sweet in flavor. Cherry tomatoes are an easy swap, but if they’re large cherry tomatoes, cut them into quarters. Other types of tomatoes that would work in this recipe include heirloom, plum or vine-ripened varieties.
• Chickpeas: These protein-packed legumes have a mild, nutty flavor and creamy texture. They’re also called garbanzo beans.
• Kalamata olives: This type of olive is deep purple and has a rich, fruity flavor. Avoid unwanted trips to the dentist by double-checking your olives to make sure they’re pitted.
• Sliced pickled beets: The addition of sliced pickled beets sets a Detroit Greek salad apart from other versions. You can use your favorite store-bought variety or make pickled beets from scratch.
• Feta cheese: This salty and tangy cheese is typically made from sheep’s milk. The best feta cheese recipes call for crumbling the cheese from the block for the best flavor, but you could also buy pre-crumbled cheese.
• Pepperoncini: Pepperoncini are a mild and tangy pickled pepper, although they can be somewhat divisive. If your family doesn’t love pepperoncini recipes, you can omit the peppers from the recipe.
• Red wine vinaigrette: The salad is dressed with a simple but flavorful red wine vinaigrette made with olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, pepper and dried oregano. Of course, you can always skip the homemade dressing and use a store-bought variety instead.

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