Cretan dakos (Κρητικός ντάκος)

This is a traditional Cretan salad made with tomatoes, feta, herbs, capers and olives served on top of a barley rusk. This is a very popular vegetarian dish that is perfect for either a light lunch, small dinner or mid-day snack. Cretan rusks with tomatoes and feta is definitely a great summer dish, when the tomatoes are at their peak.

Growing up in a Greek family I was always exposed to seasonal fresh produce, prepared simply.  Whether it was a traditional horiatiki (Greek salad), a lovely maroulosalata with a fresh herb dressing, or a Greek potato salad, the fresh flavours were explosive!   In this recipe for Greek Cretan dakos, every bite is a delight!

Why I love this Cretan dakos

Oh Crete, how I love you!  I have had the great pleasure of visiting this largest and southernmost island of Greece,  spending weeks exploring the cities, beaches, gorges and of course, the tavernas and restaurants.  Cretan cuisine, like all Greek cooking, is based on fresh, local ingredients. The regional specialties often showcase food items you can only find there.  Fortunately however, much of what is loved and devoured in Crete can be replicated off the island, and this dakos salad is a perfect example of that.

Cretan dakos is often served as a salad, a light meal, or as part of an array of mezedes.  Its basis is a Cretan dry barley rusk (called paximadia in Greek); think of it as a large, super hard crouton.  The rusk is typically topped with the best tomatoes you can find, olive oil, capers, olives, and cheese…all sorts of healthy deliciousness. The rusk is made of whole grain barley. It is low in fat and very high in fiber.  These rusks must absolutely be softened before eating them but the fact that they are so dry means that they keep well for a long time, in theory; mine never last long enough for this to be a concern.

Key ingredients

Barley rusks Greek barley rusks are very popular in Crete. They are double baked breads which are made with barley flour, and sometimes whole what flour. When I find them in a Mediterranean grocery store I stock up, knowing that they keep well for a very long time.

Tomatoes Fresh vine ripened or garden tomatoes make all the difference here. So good!

Red onion I love to use red onion in recipes such as this one because the raw red onion has a mild but obvious flavour that goes so well with the tomatoes and the rest of the ingredients.

Basil So fragrant! Adding a little bit of fresh basil to the dakos is really a lovely addition.

Olives I use Kalamata olives that I chop up after removing the pit. These olives are briny, meaty and so delicious.

Capers These are small pickled flower buds which have a briny and salty flavour.

Feta I only use Greek feta because the flavour and texture is absolutely unbeatable. I have accumulated all sorts of feta facts that you might find helpful when picking the perfect cheese.

Olive oil Only the best for Cretan dakos, which is why I use pure Greek olive oil.

Greek oregano Dry Greek oregano has a very strong and beautiful flavour and fragrance. A little goes a long way in most recipes, but don’t be shy to sprinkle It on liberally – it makes everything better.

Helpful hints

Soften the rusks

The dry barley rusks used to prepare Cretan dakos are typically quite hard, like be-careful-you-don’t-break-your-teeth hard. So, before eating them, they really do need to be softened up. Most recipes suggest quickly running the dry barley rusk under water to allow it to soften.  Although this obviously works, my method is to soften the rusk with the juices from a grated ripe tomato; much more delicious than water.

Choose your cheese

In Crete, dakos salad is usually made with Cretan mizithra or anthotiro, a soft fresh cheese which has a slightly sweet taste and a creamy texture which melts in your mouth. I have a hard time finding this cheese in Canada, so I make my Cretan dakos with feta.  Different, but still amazing!

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Related recipes

I love summer tomatoes so much that I use them in so many different recipes. If you like Cretan dakos, I think you will also enjoy these recipes that star tomatoes!

Tomato fritters (Ντοματοκεφτέδες)

Tomato and feta toast

Peach, tomato and feta salad

How to serve

Cretan dakos is best served soon after it is assembled, although it can definitely stay at room temperature, prepared, for an hour or so. I would wait to add the cheese until right before serving.

I don’t usually serve Cretan dakos with anything else, although if you do want it to be a starter or side to a larger meal, Greek marinated chicken thighs or Pork souvlaki would really go very well!

Serving size

This recipe makes one serving – it can easily be doubled or tripled to serve more people.

Thanks for sharing!