Marinated Feta With Herbs and Peppercorns Recipe (2024)

How long will this last. Can I make up a larger batch and use it for a week (or two)?

I’ve visited all over Greece, both mainland and islands, and in all my travels I have never ever had a dish like this that didn’t include garlic! I left out the parsley and added two chunked-up cloves of garlic, without which this feta would’ve cried.

Note that pink peppercorns may cause allergic reactions to those who have tree nut (esp cashew) allergies.

The best feta, hands down, is Bulgarian. Creamy and superb.

Since 2002, feta has been a protected designation of origin product in the European Union. So only cheese made from sheep or goat and sheep from areas of Greece can be called 'feta." Even though I love French "feta." If you can get to Titan Foods in Astoria, you can try all the lovely different varieties of feta (my current favorites are Arahova and Metsovou) or get it pre-packaged. I would suggest Minerva Horio (the cheese used in the Greek Salad at Kyklades estiatorio.

Chopped mint is a lot more interesting than parsley.

there is a wonderful Israeli feta at Trader Joe's. Tastes entirely different from the "regular" stuff.

1) Delicious made per recipe choosing preserved lemon option in the "or orange..." choice, including optional serrano & electing only black / green peppercorns in the "any combination of".2) Used my preferred firm, brine packed Feta which is French in origin & sheep's milk based.3) If oil is leftover when cheese is all eaten, it is good for crostini or with pasta or roasted veg or on salads.4) Presented in a nice glass container, this makes an "ahh"some host(ess) gift.

My hands-down absolutely favoritest NYT recipe! (Please no grammar police.)I live in Germany and can’t get serrano peppers, so don’t use them, but do get fresh Greek feta in brine from my Turkish greengrocer and preserved lemons at the Moroccan grocery. The only thing I change is using two whole preserved lemons - skin, flesh, and all (no seeds, obviously). And I have nothing against eating it immediately. If it didn’t have so many calories I wouldn’t even share it with anyone!

I marinated mine for about a week. Scattered the feta cubes over small chunks of watermelon and drizzled the flavored oil over everything. It was lovely. If I hadn’t had the salty brinyness of the preserved lemon, I would have tossed in some olives. Would be good with cantaloupe too.

Drain the brine from the feta! This will last a good week in the fridge. In Greece, we don't even refrigerate it as the olive oil and herbs keep it quite nicely in a shaded area in the kitchen. If you slice some tomatoes and cucumbers in this you have a nice "xoriatiki salata" aka "village salad". ENJOY!!!

OMG! So good and so simple, multiple uses!!!!!! Does take at LEAST half an hour to prepare, not the 10 minutes listed but terrific... used it as a side with chicken and lamb kebabs, and on top a salad of simple greens and even in the scrambled eggs the next morning! My whole mad foodie crowd loved it;-))) And today I just needed a scoopful for myself as an appetizer;-)))) Next it'll go on pasta and then mixed into potatoes..... YUM!

Chris - You ask how long this will last. I often make similar recipes for marinated feta - this one is on my cooking radar for next week - and we eat them up in about a week'ish. (Maybe 10 days is our longest 'hold'.) More often sooner because marinated feta is so good and versatile that it is too tempting to hang on to for long. As to "batch" size, I have sometimes used a pound of feta, so double this amount, and it works well to. Clean glass, lidded container to store in fridge is key.

Brine-packed feta has a much, MUCH better flavor and texture, and lasts longer, than shrink-wrapped or pre-crumbled feta.

The feta is also delicious marinated with crushed Szechuan pepper corns and fresh basil, and as an aperitivo to serve the feta on thin bread/crostini that have been first spread with a sun-dried tomato patè, that you can make simply by blending one hard-boiled egg and sun-dried tomatoes (about 200g) marinated in extra virgin olive oil until you have a delicious patè. I decorate the feta with thin slivers of basilico. This is wonderful to serve with a chilled Prosecco, or a Pinot Grigio!

We make this every Christmas with slices of semi hard goats cheese, preserved lemons and pink peppercorns. Beautiful and easy.

Any alternatives to preserved lemon?

The only feta I’d recommend for this is Dodoni brand or Vareli, imported from Greece. Creamy feta, pre crumbled feta, or anything non-Greek is sub standard and not worth your time, money, or taste buds. I will never forget the nightmare that was the “president” brand blue label feta from my local grocery store… As a cheese lover and Greek alike, please beware

I was fresh out of preserved lemon, so I chopped half a lemon (all but seeds) and added to the leftover oil of an empty jar of good green olives, microwaved a minute on high, let it rest, then drained and used as preserved lemon. Desperate move, but high compliments on the feta were earned from the party crowd. It is a good recipe that can't be ruined even with a dumb trick like mine.

It was amazing! I used mint instead of parsley and next time would do 2 red chili's instead of 1. I just got a really thinly cut slice of lemon and minced it. Thinking about putting a crushed garlic piece in the overnight marinade next time. With all that said, it was awesome! I'm excited to make it again with the changes. Had it with some fresh baguette

Bulgarian feta is too salty. Try French feta, it's mild salty but so much more flavor. When I take feta home I make my own briny water to keep it in. Not so much salt. Salt can dominate the flavors.

Costco also has great feta in brine, much better than Trader Joe's. Not as good as the Romanian feta at my local market, but still better than average.

My hands-down absolutely favoritest NYT recipe! (Please no grammar police.)I live in Germany and can’t get serrano peppers, so don’t use them, but do get fresh Greek feta in brine from my Turkish greengrocer and preserved lemons at the Moroccan grocery. The only thing I change is using two whole preserved lemons - skin, flesh, and all (no seeds, obviously). And I have nothing against eating it immediately. If it didn’t have so many calories I wouldn’t even share it with anyone!

Can this be warmed? I had a similar dish to this once and the mixture was warm and delicious on some fresh bread.

Do you use the flesh, the peel, or both of the preserved lemon? I’ve seen every possibility in different recipes.

The feta is also delicious marinated with crushed Szechuan pepper corns and fresh basil, and as an aperitivo to serve the feta on thin bread/crostini that have been first spread with a sun-dried tomato patè, that you can make simply by blending one hard-boiled egg and sun-dried tomatoes (about 200g) marinated in extra virgin olive oil until you have a delicious patè. I decorate the feta with thin slivers of basilico. This is wonderful to serve with a chilled Prosecco, or a Pinot Grigio!

I marinated mine for about a week. Scattered the feta cubes over small chunks of watermelon and drizzled the flavored oil over everything. It was lovely. If I hadn’t had the salty brinyness of the preserved lemon, I would have tossed in some olives. Would be good with cantaloupe too.

I think Bulgarian is best hand's down but it's not easy to find.....

OMG! So good and so simple, multiple uses!!!!!! Does take at LEAST half an hour to prepare, not the 10 minutes listed but terrific... used it as a side with chicken and lamb kebabs, and on top a salad of simple greens and even in the scrambled eggs the next morning! My whole mad foodie crowd loved it;-))) And today I just needed a scoopful for myself as an appetizer;-)))) Next it'll go on pasta and then mixed into potatoes..... YUM!

1) Delicious made per recipe choosing preserved lemon option in the "or orange..." choice, including optional serrano & electing only black / green peppercorns in the "any combination of".2) Used my preferred firm, brine packed Feta which is French in origin & sheep's milk based.3) If oil is leftover when cheese is all eaten, it is good for crostini or with pasta or roasted veg or on salads.4) Presented in a nice glass container, this makes an "ahh"some host(ess) gift.