Greek-Ish Salad With Marinated Cheese Curds Recipe
This Greek-ish salad ditches the feta cheese in favor of homemade marinated cheese curds, and you're going to love this squeaky, refreshing take on a classic.
Cheese curds may be unfamiliar to anyone outside Wisconsin or Quebec, but these little rounds of freshly made cheese are the dairy industry's best-kept secrets. According to food blogger Ksenia Prints of At the Immigrant's Table, cheese curds are little rounds of curdled milk, the freshest cheese you can usually find without going to a dairy farm.
They taste like young cheddar and make a satisfying squeaking noise when you bite into them. Cheese curds are best when treated very minimally, and Prints loves how they tasted after a brief overnight marinade in herbs and oil. Used in a fresh, rustic Greek salad instead of feta, cheese curds over a North American take on this Mediterranean classic.
Gather the ingredients for this Greek-ish salad with marinated cheese curds
The most important part of making this salad is getting your hands on some fresh cheese curds. You may need to go to a cheesemonger if these are unavailable in your local store.
The rest of the ingredients are simple and available in any supermarket. Grab dried oregano, fresh rosemary, and olive oil to make the cheese marinade. For the salad, purchase Lebanese or English cucumbers, ripe tomatoes, a red bell pepper, red onion, kalamata olives, fresh lemon and salt and pepper.
Make the marinated cheese curds
Transfer cheese curds to a small jar or well-sealed container. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, oregano, and rosemary, then pour the mixture over the cheese curds to make a marinade.
Close the jar tightly and shake everything together. This helps the seasonings distribute evenly, which in turn coats every cheese morsel.
Transfer the jar to the fridge overnight, giving the cheese curds time to marinate.
Make Greek salad
To make the Greek salad, combine the diced vegetables and olives in a large bowl. Prints recommends keeping the veggies cut in large, rustic wedges, just like they do in Greece.
Drain the cheese curds from the marinade oil and transfer them to the bowl. Reserve the oil for the dressing.
Whisk salad dressing
In a small bowl, whisk together the leftover cheese curd marinade with the juice of half a lemon. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then whisk everything together to emulsify. Taste, and correct the seasonings as needed.
Serve Greek-ish salad with marinated cheese curds
Pour the dressing over the vegetable salad with the cheese curds. Mix everything thoroughly to ensure an even coating on all the components. Taste the salad, and add more salt and pepper to your liking.
Serve the Greek-ish salad with marinated cheese curds immediately, with additional lemon wedges.
You can store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for a couple of days. But you shouldn't: First, because you probably won't have any salad left, and second, because the curds will lose their squeak and freshness over time.
- ½ cup cheese curds
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 1 cup olive oil
- 2 Lebanese cucumbers, diced into ½-inch thick circles
- 3 small vine tomatoes, cut into wedges
- ½ red pepper, diced into 1-inch pieces
- ¼ small red onion, diced into ½-inch thick circles
- ¼ cup kalamata olives
- juice of ½ lemon
- Salt and pepper
- Transfer cheese curds to a small jar.
- Mix olive oil, oregano, and rosemary, then pour the mixture over the cheese curds to make a marinade.
- Shake the jar after closing it, so the seasonings are distributed evenly.
- Refrigerate the jar overnight, to marinate the cheese.
- Combine diced vegetables and olives together in a bowl.
- Take the cheese curds out of the marinade oil and transfer them to the bowl.
- Mix the oil from the cheese curd marinade with the juice of half a lemon in a separate small bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste, then whisk the dressing well to emulsify.
- Pour the dressing over the vegetable salad and mix thoroughly to ensure an even coating.
- Serve the salad immediately, with additional lemon wedges on the side. Leftover salad will keep for a couple of days, but the curds will lose their squeak.
| Calories per Serving | 568 |
| Total Fat | 56.8 g |
| Saturated Fat | 8.3 g |
| Trans Fat | 0.0 g |
| Cholesterol | 4.8 mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 13.6 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 3.5 g |
| Total Sugars | 6.1 g |
| Sodium | 795.9 mg |
| Protein | 5.4 g |
