Greek salad with fried Feta cheese

Colorful, healthy Greek salad recipe served with crisp, golden fried feta cheese, drizzled with honey, dressed with a lemon and oregano salad dressing.

So…remember on Monday when I told you how I had this uh-mazing Greek salad post planned and how I had shot all the images and edited them and was ready to go when I realised I left out, oh, only the OLIVES! Out of a GREEK salad. I mean. But I vowed to re-shoot it and here we are. Greek salad coming at you in 3..2..1..

Let’s be honest, it’s not like it was much of a punishment to re-shoot this salad because just look at it. Those colours! That crispy feta cheese drizzled with honey!

Big, chunky salads just scream Summer to me which is ironic since right now I am writing this wrapped up in my fluffy dressing gown and yearning for a mug of hot tea to wrap my freezing hands around. But I always do this, when winter comes around, I want the most summery foods. And luckily for me, our country has pretty mild winters with very little snow (and no snow at all where I live) so we can still enjoy days outdoors and we enjoy foods like salads and ice cream all through winter. I was however worried that I wouldn’t find beautiful ripe tomatoes because it is very much not tomato season right now but would you just look at those beauties? I don’t actually think I’ve ever seen such beautiful tomatoes in my life. And they were absolutely delicious. So sweet and just bursting with flavour.

Anyway, I had the idea for this salad when a few months ago I made my fried goat’s cheese salad for lunch again and just fell back in love with the hot, crunchy, oozy cheese against the cool salad. My mind started playing with ideas and then it struck me. I mean, I love a good traditional Greek salad but playing with food is what I do. Plus, this is kind of a showstopper you guys. Every time I’ve made this salad my guests have been ridiculously impressed and it’s such a simple recipe! Literally the only thing you do here is to deep-fry the cheese. Everything else is exactly the same as any other Greek salad recipe except that I’ve added some avocado (because that is my mission in life at the moment, to add it to everything) and I used baby butter lettuce leaves as a bed for the other ingredients to bulk the salad out a little. However, if you’re after something more authentic, just omit them from the recipe. I simply love how the feta cheese goes just ever so slightly soft when fried and how the drizzle of honey compliments the briney, salty cheese in the most fabulous way. Serve this salad with toasted pita bread for a light, vegetarian lunch or dinner or add some grilled lamb chops or even a simple roasted chicken. Honestly, it doesn’t matter, as long as you have this salad.

5 from 3 votes

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Greek salad with fried Feta cheese

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

5 mins

Total Time

15 mins

 

Colorful, healthy Greek salad recipe served with crisp, golden fried feta cheese, drizzled with honey, dressed with a lemon and oregano salad dressing.

Course: Salad, Side Dish, Vegetarian

Servings: 4 -6

Author: Alida Ryder

Ingredients

for the fried feta cheese

• 3 generous slices/rounds of brined feta cheese
• 1 cup flour
• 2 eggs beaten
• 2 cups panko breadcrumbs seasoned with a pinch of salt, black pepper and a pinch of dried oregano
• oil for frying
• honey for drizzling

for the Greek salad

• baby butter lettuce leaves optional
• 2 small Mediterranean cucumbers sliced
• red and yellow cherry tomatoes
• Kalamata olives
• 2 ripe avocados sliced
• 2 pita breads toasted and cut into wedges

for the Greek salad dressing

• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

1. To fry the feta, heat the oil in a deep saucepan.
2. Cover the feta cheese first in the flour, then in the beaten egg and finally in the breadcrumbs. If you want a thicker, crunchier coating, repeat the egg and breadcrumb steps.
3. When the oil it hot, carefully place the feta cheese in the oil and allow to fry until golden brown and crispy all over.
4. Remove and allow to drain on kitchen paper.
5. To assemble the salad, place all the ingredients on a large platter.
6. Whisk together all the salad dressing ingredients.
7. Drizzle a little honey over the feta cheese and place on the salad, dress and serve.

Other salads you might love:

Chinese chicken salad 

Steak salad with grilled tomatoes and goat’s cheese 

Grilled trout salad with sriracha-lime salad dressing

Spicy roast chicken salad with ciabatta crisps and creamy lemon dressing