Dakos Recipe: Cretan Rusk Salad with Tomato and Feta

Dakos is a Cretan starter: a barley rusk, briefly moistened, topped with grated tomato, cheese, olive oil and oregano. The tomato juice softens the rusk while it keeps some bite.

Serves: 2 | Prep: 10 min | Cook: none

Ingredients

• 2 large barley rusks (paximadi)
• 2 to 3 ripe tomatoes
• 100 g feta, crumbled (in Crete often mizithra)
• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• Salt and pepper
• Capers and olives (optional)

Method

1. Sprinkle the rusks with a few tablespoons of water so they soften a little without getting soggy.
2. Coarsely grate the tomatoes and let the juice drain briefly. Mix with a pinch of salt.
3. Put the rusks on a plate and spoon the tomato over them.
4. Crumble the feta on top, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with oregano and pepper.
5. Garnish with capers or olives and let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Tips

• Use the ripest tomatoes you can find; the dish stands or falls with them.
• For a drier rusk, let it stand longer before eating.

Products from Bakaliko

• Tsatsakis - Barley Rusk Rolls (Kritharokouloura) 600 g
• Maragkakis - Cretan Rusks with Olive Oil and Oregano 500 g
• Hotos - Feta P.D.O. 200 g

More Greek recipes

• Greek salad (horiatiki)
• Fava: Greek yellow split pea puree from Santorini

Photo: Frente, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.