Serve this pan-fried feta cheese with slices of ripe, red tomatoes and lemon.
I live in a very large Greek community. We enjoy Saganaki often but, this recipe is different. We use a Greek cheese called Kasseri which is a harder cheese than Feta. We follow this recipe almost...at the end of frying time, we pour one ounce of liquor over the fried cheese ( 151 rum ), then light it on fire, the put out the flame by squeezing lemon juice over it....OPA!!! It's awesome...try it this way sometime!
Read MoreI'm Greek and have never seen feta used for Saganaki before. I prefer harder cheeses for texture and taste. I use kefalotiri or even kefalograviera if you want a less salty cheese. Sorry, This was ok but didnt really do it for me.
Read MoreI live in a very large Greek community. We enjoy Saganaki often but, this recipe is different. We use a Greek cheese called Kasseri which is a harder cheese than Feta. We follow this recipe almost...at the end of frying time, we pour one ounce of liquor over the fried cheese ( 151 rum ), then light it on fire, the put out the flame by squeezing lemon juice over it....OPA!!! It's awesome...try it this way sometime!
I'm Greek and have never seen feta used for Saganaki before. I prefer harder cheeses for texture and taste. I use kefalotiri or even kefalograviera if you want a less salty cheese. Sorry, This was ok but didnt really do it for me.
Since I'm Greek I have many recipes with feta. This recipe is very common in Greece but I have to admit that this one is very well provided by Elizabeth. The only comment I have to make is that we call it Saganaki.
Amazing! I made this as an appetizer for my in-laws and when it was gone, they sent me directly back to the kitchen to make more! I suggest refrigerating for 10 minutes or so before frying to set the breading.
If you like authentic Greek Saganaki, this recipe will help you make it at home with one (significant) change. Instead of feta, use Kasseri cheese. I made this change, followed the recipe exactly, and my wife was impressed--just like they make in Greece. (We lived there for a number of years, so impressing her with my Greek cooking is not too easy!!)
I tried this and was truly dissapointed. As the other members, I lived in a Greek neighbourhood and enjoyed saganaki weekly...You have to use Kasseri or keflatoria (mis spelt I know) and at the end of frying and just before serving transfer to a hot cast iron pan and pour 1 oz of Uzzo over cheese and light with a match....Use your lemon to distinguish the flame...OPA...
This was truly heavenly. It's a matter of taste, but we cut the oregano to 1/2 tsp., and that was plenty. This made a delicious weekend meal, along with fresh vegetables from the farmer. Although the recipe said it was for 4, it was so good that we ate the whole thing!
This was a great recipe. Ive tried it 2 times the second time I did not coat in flour, just in egg and oregano to make it lower in carbs. Either way it comes out great. I served it on a bed of baby greans tossed with a little lemon juice ,olive oil, kosher salt and pepper. Excellent recipe, if you like Feta cheese, you will love this.
This is really scrumptious! My husband and I ate it for a late lunch on a weekend day when we were going out to dinner with friends and didn't want to fill up. It's not difficult to make and tastes like something you would order in a nice restaurant.
I usually follow new recipes to the "t" the first time I make them and then make adjustments in the future if need be. My local grocery store was out of feta cheese so I tried this with Blanco Fresco instead. It turned out great! Very quick and easy to make and a real hit for a brunch I served last week. Can't wait to try this tasty recipe with feta.
The only reason I am giving this 2 stars is because some people might not mind using feta in place of kasseri or halloumi like tradional recipes use. Plus, feta is much easier to fine. I tried this just to see if I could sub the feta when I can't find the above and I didn't like it at all! The cheese doesn't really melt and the flavor just isn't the same. And once you've tried it the more traditional way you'll be too spoiled to accept this poor imitation. Sorry. If you want anything even close to "real" greek food, this isn't it!
Not Authentic at all-- You need to use kasseri cheese or kefalograniera cheese. Additionally- you should try putting some butter in with the oil to give it a richer flavor. Then when it comes off- squeeze lemon onto it. Feta is not a melting cheese- this is like using american for mozzarella sticks.
you need to use a harder cheese. The best saganaki I've had was made with Kasseri, mizithra and halloumi worked well also. We make it with cognac poured over the sizzling cheese and lit on fire. Extinguish with fresh lemon juice. We serve this with fresh pita bread and olives. The flour isn't necessary if the pan is hot enough and the cheese is hard.
Saganaki is absolutely one of my favorite dishes. I'll even have it as a main dish with some kalamata olives and crusty bread with roasted garlic. I always use Kasseri, because (in my opinion) feta doesn't cut it. Feta should be used as a sub only. I always douse it with Brandy but don't want to burn down the house so I just let it cook for a minute instead of lighting it on fire. Always douse with fresh lemon juice.
This stuff is just like a local Greek restaurant's saganaki! I did use the Kass cheese instead. I wanted to flame it like they did in the restaurant, but since I'm under 21, I bought some imitation brandy extract (has 53% alcohol) and I poured some on the cheese, removed from heat, and torched it for a few seconds and then put it out by squeezing a lemon wedge.
9/17/05 I really only made this because I had some feta that needed using up. I didn't have a lemon, but we enjoyed this. Husband thought it was a little strange at first, but liked it more with every bite. Although I have only recently become interested in Greek food - and because I try to make recipes as authentically as possible - I would be interested to try it with the Kasseri cheese and the flambe' method. Thanks, Elizabeth! **5/27/08 - Didn't try the flambe method but made it with Kasseri. Jebus, it was DELICIOUS. The cheese melted just right, and got kinda toasted on the outside. I think I ate like half a pound of cheese by myself.
after living in greece for 19 years i have never once been served saganaki using feta cheese
I love feta and Greek food, but didn't really enjoy this. Very few people even tried it.
Not quite as crispy as the Saganaki I've had in Greek restaurants. Maybe I should have fried them a little longer. But they were delicious! We ate them with tomatoes and green olives. Yum!
Alot of work and time, messy. But it turned out ok, but it would have been just easier in my case to use this in a salad without going through all that trouble.
this was good. very tasty actually, however i dont think feta is the cheese they use in greektown. i think it is something called kasseri cheese. the feta didnt melt really well. but dont get me wrong, this recipe is awesome!! thanks
This is very good, I love it, but you must really enjoy the flavor of feta cheese to appreciate this recipe. Only problem I have with this as written is the amount of olive oil. I used a large skillet and 2 Tablespoons is not enough for frying all eight slices of cheese. I use 5 Tablespoons and that seems to be perfect for me. Also, the temperature should be bit higher than medium heat. This has to be browned quickly, and medium heat just doesn't do the trick. It's very important to use the lemon juice over these, and serve with the tomato, the flavors together are wonderful. I used dried oregano instead fresh. This is made often with the few minor adjustments I make. Thanks for sharing this :)
I haven't had this stuff in years! We used to go to a Greek resteraunt long ago and get this all the time. Only difference was that they would come to the the table, pour Burbon on it, light it on fire and yell "WHOOMPAA!" They would squeeze the lemon over it to put the fire out. This recipe is exactly how I remember it tasting and every bit as good. I did not use the tomato at all because it just didn't seem to add anything more than a garnish. I served mine similar to the resteraunt minus the screaming and was extremely happy with the result. I am also shocked with how easy this is to make. If I would have known, I would have been making it for eons. However, I will now make it frequently to make up for lost time. Thank you for the recipe!
This was a great recipe. I made this without the egg batter, just fry your feta on the pan without it. One of my favorites things to eat!
This is really good but you have to really love feta cheese.
this recipe is so delicious and easy to make. i made this for my father when he was over who isnt a big feta eater but he made me make seconds!!! only things i did abit different to the above recipe was use dutch feta instead of greek bcos its creamier, added some cracked pepper to the egg mixture and i added some minced garlic to the oil when cooking the feta :o)
I was very excited to try this as I love saganaki and rarely get to have it as most greek restraurants dont make it. I used kasseri cheese, which by the way is the traditional cheese used and is much better for this preparation. I also splashed some cognac in the pan at the end and lit it on fire, then put it out with a lemon as others had noted. It came out great but you definetly need to eat it immediately, make sure dinner is on the table then fry this up and put it on the plate because the cheese hardens rather quickly and isnt as enjoyable. Im so glad I cna make this at home now though!
yummm....my boyfriend is Greek and he couldn't eat enough. LOOOOOOVED them. Make sure to cook them till they are very crisp and brown. That way, the cheese is melted inside the crust. I used dried oregano as well. Make sure to squeeze fresh lemon juice on them. It enhances the flavor. Served them on the side of a light salad as an appetizer. Greek dressing of course.
Delicious! Don't slice the cheese too thin or it will break apart during the breading process. Didn't have a tomato so I served with avocado slices on the side because that is what I had. Might pair well with sliced onion also.
My boyfriend and I have saganaki every time we go to a Greek place to eat and we love it! This was not the same, but I loved it's unique flavors. I waited until the outside of each peice of cheese was slightly brown then turned them. It was so creamy and warm. We just loved it. Thanks!
to call it saganaki, you really must use a harder cheese, like others have mentioned. Kefalograviera is good. Kasseri may be more accessible if you don't have a "greek store" nearby. The prep is good, but to be authentic, use kasseri or kefalograviera
I tried this because I wanted to try something new. I should have known better, because saganaki is not made with feta cheese. It is made with kasseri or kefalograviera cheese, neither of which are similar to feta. If you want real saganaki, try to find either of these cheeses.
This was REALLY great! I've never heard of doing this, but my hubby is a feta freak, so I thought I'd give it a shot. I followed the advice of Cat Lady Cyndi (Thanks, Girl!) and it turned out perfectly! I agree, the tomatoes and the lemons are a MUST. Beautiful AND delicious, this will become a regular at our house! Thanks for sharing. :)
This was delicious! My husband is Greek and he had never had this before. We all loved it. I served it with the tomatoes, olives, and bread with olive oil dip for an evening snack. Thanks we will enjoy this recipe from now on.
I accidently purchased feta already flavored with herbs, so used very little oregano. It was awesome. Great appetizer, and so easy. I will be making this again soon!
very good - make sure oil is hot or else breading breaks off (the ones i did at the end were much better then the ones i made in the beginning).
I was really excited to try this when I saw the recipe, and I was definitely pleased with the results.
We thought this recipe was very good but we used Halloum instead of Feta. We did find the fresh oregano did not stick very well. Next time we will try dried oregano mixed in with the flour. The recipe is a definite keeper.
My Greek boyfriend and I decided to make this (with feta, as we didn't have kasseri on hand) and he enjoyed it. I thought it was fairly good.
Really tasty for cheese-lovers like us! The oregano didn't stick as much as I would've liked it to. Maybe if I added it after frying the cubes as they dried? A big hit with everyone, nonetheless!
The recipe worked great. Just replace the feta cheese for Kefalotyri or kefalotiri cheese (either spelling is proper). Restaurants use this cheese, which is my favorite, or they use Kasseri cheese which is also fairly good.
This was so easy to make, I didn't change anything and it was awesome (sorry about the word). These didn't even make it to the table!
Fantastic....great appetizer. Just make sure it is coated well otherwise the cheese will be oozing out the sides.
This was really good!. BUT you have to like feta cheese. My 3 year old loved it. I actually saw someone make this on food tv in a restaurant on one of the Greek Islands. Oh by the way, this actually gets you full as a meal.
I absolutely loved it, I had Saganaki when I travelled to Greece for a week last year and absolutely loved it, infact, I had it more than once on my trip; so I tried out this recipe with a few changes of my own and I simply loved the taste. I added celery leaves instead of parsley and that added a beautiful flavour to the dish, also once it was prepared I drizzled it with teriyaki sauce instead of the lemon coz I knew the flavours would really click well and they did and I served it with a salad! See the Pic...
I am not Greek, but I am a cook! use Kasseri cheese. flour salt pepper pan fry , soak cheese in brandy before you use the season flour pan fry until its melted then pour brandy in it after you remove it and lite it and put it out with lemon
Yum! The only issue I had was that the coating kind of slipped off the cheese- but that had no bearing on taste. It was perfect over tomato with a squeeze of lemon. Thanks for sharing!
As previously mentioned this is not the authentic recipe for saganaki, but even so it's pretty good. I love feta and this is a delicious way to use it up. I added some basil, garlic powder and onion powder to the egg and oregeno. Delish!
This was pretty good never made anything like it before. Maybe tinker with the herbs a bit. not sure if i will make this again.
so I managed to mess this one up. it tasted just like the delicious cheese I tried at the local Greek festival but it didnt resemble it. I didn't use the block feta. I used the crumbles. I will try it again.
I followed the recipe exactly, but this was only so-so for me. Not good enough to make a second time. Sorry!
