With ripe tomatoes, crisp and cool cucumbers, red onion, and creamy marinated feta, you'll want to eat this Greek Salad with Herb Marinated Feta every day!
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Hi guys! I hope everyone is having a safe and happy end of Summer! Last week I shared my family's new obsession, Greek Chicken Skewers with Tzatziki Sauce, and I'd like to introduce it's best friend, Greek Salad with Herb Marinated Feta.
This incredible salad has been on repeat almost weekly (sometimes twice in a week) ever since we went into quarantine 865 years ago, and knowing that it's on the day's menu immediately brightens our mood. Who knew that a salad could make anyone so happy? Yes, it's perfect with the chicken skewers, but it's also amazing with some orzo tossed in for a filling main dish salad, and it's customizable with whatever fresh vegetables you have on hand.
Ingredients
The best recipes come from using a few simple ingredients and just treating them well. I could have given you instructions to make a really good Greek Salad with crisp cucumbers, sweet little tomatoes, and sharp shards of red onion. Toss in some feta and lemon juice and we're done, right? Oh no, we're not even close to done.
In this recipe we are marinating a diced block of salty, briny feta in fruity olive oil and adding fresh herbs and cracked black pepper. We're taking simple ingredients and elevating the flavors to a whole new level!
- Persian Cucumbers Due to their thin skins and relatively seedless interiors. I prefer Persian cucumbers. They usually come in a package of 6-7 cucumbers. An English cucumber can also be used, as they also have thin skins that aren't as tough and waxy as other cucumbers. You might want to remove the seeds though. Up to you.
- Multi-colored tiny tomatoes I love the sweetness of those tiny tomatoes. Not only that but, due to their size, they are less likely to release as much liquid into your salad, holding onto all of their flavor. Any color is fine. You can use just the red grape tomatoes or mix it up and pick all the colors of the rainbow!
- Other fresh vegetables This recipe can be adjusted according to your preferences. Other than tomatoes and cucumbers, this recipe suggests thinly sliced red onions, radishes, but you can definitelyadd or subtract what you like or dislike. How delicious would fresh raw corn be in this? Or even raw zucchini soaking up the marinade? Yum!
- Lemon juice Please, take it from someone who used to buy bottled lemon juice, don't use bottled lemon juice. I can actually remember the first time, oh so long ago, that I used fresh lemon juice in a regular recipe of mine. It was mind blowing 🤯 and I've never once gone back. Buy a lemon. You'll be glad you did.
- Fresh herbs I can't stress enough how delicious and fresh the use fo fresh herbs is in this salad. Fresh parsley and oregano can't be beat, and fresh dill is essential. That being said, when marinating the feta cheese, high quality dehydrated herbs (not to be confused with dried herbs) can be a very good substitute. You can also find them in the produce department. and speaking of feta...
- Feta cheese Usually found in either the produce or deli department, fresh feta, stored in brine, is my feta cheese of choice. It has a much more intense, and less salty, flavor than the pre-crumbled variety. In addition, it just looks so much prettier to have those big pieces of feta in your salad, and we do eat with our eyes first (although with The Boy, it's only a matter of seconds. And hey - make extra marinated feta if you can. It's amazing scattered over pizza, schmeared on a crusty piece of bread, or baked with eggs and cream. I could go on.
Tips for Success
- Start by marinating your feta cheese first. If you are making the salad the same day, you can leave the feta marinating on the counter for up to three hours. If you make it a day or so ahead, store it in the refrigerator for up to three days. The olive oil will probably solidify in the cold, but just leave the feta on the counter for a few hours and it will return to its liquid form.
- You can cut your vegetables ahead and assemble the salad later, just store the cut vegetables in the refrigerator, because this is definitely a salad that is best served cold. However, if you add the feta and olive oil ahead and refrigerate, you will again be faced with solidified olive that needs to be thawed. Precious minutes when you could be eating instead of waiting.
This recipe serves 6-8 people, or 3-4 highly motivated people.
What do I serve this with?
Looking for more salad sensations?
Greek Salad with Herb Marinated Feta
Ingredients
Herb Marinated Feta
- 8 oz feta cheese (the good kind, stored in brine), cut in small cubes
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoon chopped fresh dill
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh chives
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
- 1 sprig fresh oregano, stripped and chopped
- Fresh cracked black pepper
- Flaky sea salt
Greek Salad
- 5 Persian cucumbers, cut in half dollar sized pieces, about ¼ inch thick
- 1 pint tiny tomatoes, sliced in half
- ½ red onion, thinly sliced in half moon rings
- 4 red radishes, sliced thinly
- ¼ cup torn fresh parsley leaves
- 2 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
- 2 teaspoon chopped fresh chives
- 3 sprigs fresh oregano, stripped and chopped
- ½ cup torn basil and/or mint leaves if you have some laying around
- 1 Juice and zest of lemon
- All of your feta, including the oil and herbs
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
Marinating Feta
- Put a layer of feta chunks in the bottom of a pint sized mason jar. Top them with a sprinkle of the herbs and a scritch of fresh ground pepper, and repeat until you get to the top of the jar. Cover with olive oil and store in refrigerator overnight, or on the counter for a couple of hours. Take feta out of the refrigerator a few hours before you start cooking to continue to marinate at room temperature. If your olive oil solidified in the refrigerator, that's okay, it will liquify again as it warms up.
Putting it All Together
- Place all the salad ingredients in a large bowl and gently toss together. Add salt and cracked black pepper to taste. Really, that's it. This salad lasts a couple of days in the refrigerator, but that's only happened once or twice when The Boy was working a lot. Otherwise, it's gone. Enjoy this amazing salad on its own, or alongside my Greek Chicken Skewers with Tzatziki Sauce!
Notes
- Start by marinating your feta cheese first. If you are making the salad the same day, you can leave the feta marinating on the counter for up to three hours. If you make it a day or so ahead, store it in the refrigerator for up to three days. The olive oil will probably solidify in the cold, but just leave the feta on the counter for a few hours and it will return to its liquid form.
- You can cut your vegetables ahead and assemble the salad later, just store the cut vegetables in the refrigerator, because this is definitely a salad that is best served cold. However, if you add the feta and olive oil ahead and refrigerate, you will again be faced with solidified olive that needs to be thawed. Precious minutes when you could be eating instead of waiting.
Nutrition
The nutritional and caloric information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It does not assert or suggest that readers should or should not count calories, and should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s or doctor’s counseling.
Christina says
I love this recipe, and now I make it all the time when I want something bright and cheery. Mint leaves are recommended as an option, but don't skip them, they're really good in this!
Cynthia says
I’m so glad you love it as much as we do!