25 MINSDELISALADPORKOVERNIGHT

Bulharský Šalát

Zesty deli-counter cold salad featuring julienned artisan ham, fire-roasted red peppers, sweet corn, button mushrooms, and pickled hot peppers bound in a bright ketchup-sriracha dressing.

YIELD6 Portions
PREP25 mins
COOK0 mins

Ingredients

Salad Base

  • 400 g High-quality cooked ham (e.g. Prague ham, Black Forest, or Virginia baked ham), cut into matchsticks
  • 150 g Jarred fire-roasted red peppers, patted dry and cut into thin ribbons
  • 120 g Canned sliced button mushrooms, thoroughly drained and patted dry
  • 100 g Sweet canned corn, thoroughly drained
  • 40 g Pickled feferónky (or hot banana peppers / pickled cherry peppers), finely sliced
  • 60 g Yellow onion, shaved paper-thin

Spicy Tomato Glaze Dressing

  • 120 g Rich tomato ketchup
  • 40 g Sriracha chili sauce (maintaining the 3:1 ratio)
  • 15 ml Hot sauce (Frank's RedHot, Tabasco, or Hungarian chili paste)
  • 15 ml Pepper pickling brine (1 tbsp)
  • 5 ml Distilled white vinegar or apple cider vinegar (1 tsp)
  • 5 ml Worcestershire sauce (1 tsp)
  • Fine sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste

Method

  1. Prep Vegetables: Thoroughly drain canned mushrooms and fire-roasted peppers. Press them firmly between paper towels to pull out surface moisture so the dressing doesn't dilute. Slice the roasted peppers into neat ribbons and mushrooms into uniform bite-sized pieces. Finely slice pickled feferónky into rings.
  2. Precision Knife Work: Cut quality ham into thin matchsticks (fine julienne, roughly 4 cm long) to ensure maximum surface area for coating.
  3. De-flame Onions: Submerge shaved yellow onions in ice-cold water for 5 minutes to remove sharp volatile compounds. Drain completely and pat dry.
  4. Whisk Dressing: In a wide mixing bowl, whisk together ketchup, sriracha, hot sauce, pepper brine, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and freshly cracked black pepper until glossy and unified.
  5. Fold & Marinate: Add julienned ham, fire-roasted peppers, drained mushrooms, corn, feferónky, and tempered onions. Gently fold with a rubber spatula until evenly coated. Cover airtight and refrigerate for a minimum of 3 hours (ideally overnight).
  6. Service: Toss once more before serving cold in classic bowls alongside fresh, crisp rožky.
Chef's Tip: Pressing the water out of canned mushrooms and roasted peppers is vital when skipping mayonnaise. Without mayo fats to coat the vegetables, excess brine will quickly thin out the ketchup-sriracha dressing into a runny pool instead of clinging to the ham. Additionally, keep in mind that the sharp kick of heat from the sriracha and feferónky mellows out quite a bit as the salad rests overnight, so don't be afraid to adjust the hot sauce levels upwards if you prefer a sharper punch upon serving.