Cretan dakos (Κρητικός ντάκος)

Cretan dakos

A traditional Cretan salad of tomatoes, feta and herbs on top of a barley rusk

Cretan dakos

Oh Crete, how we love you!  We’ve both 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 and 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
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, 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; ours never last long enough for this to even be a thought.


Well, this is also fun…
Along with playing tourists in Crete, we also have close friends (family really) who are from Crete and who visit almost annually.  If you would like to get some first hand exposure to Crete, with a focus on food (because, yum) head on over to our Instagram page (click here!) and check out our highlight called MK on location (that’s Mia Kouppa on Location) to follow along on their adventures.


Helpful hints
The dry barley rusks used to prepare Cretan dakos are incredibly 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, our method is to soften the rusk with the juices from a grated ripe tomato; much more delicious than water.
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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. We have a hard time finding this cheese in Canada, so we make our Cretan dakos with feta.  Different, but still amazing!
Cretan dakos

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Cretan dakos
Are you looking for other great summer salads which use tomatoes?  Check out these!

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Cretan dakos

Cretan dakos

Cretan dakos (Κρητικός ντάκος)

A dry barley rusk topped with tomato, olive oil, cheese and olives
5 from 2 votes
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Course: Appetizer, Light meal, meze, Snack
Cuisine: Greek
Prep Time: 8 minutes
Resting time: 7 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 1 serving
Author: Mia Kouppa

Ingredients

  • 1 Cretan dry barley rusk
  • 2 Ripe tomatoes medium size
  • 1 - 2 tsps Olive oil
  • 2 tsps Capers
  • 2 tsps Chopped red onion
  • 1 Fresh basil leaf, chopped
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1-2 tbsp Crumbled feta
  • 2 Kalamata olives, pitted, and chopped
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

Instructions

  • Place the rusk in a bowl or plate.
  • Take one of your tomatoes and cut in half lengthwise. Grate each half into a bowl; discard the skin.
  • Stir the grated tomato juice and pulp and slowly spoon it over the rusk, being careful to spoon it over the entire rusk. Drizzle some olive oil on top of this (about 1/2 teaspoon) and let sit for a few minutes, while you continue with the steps below.
  • Chop up your second tomato, place in a bowl. Add the capers, red onion, basil, salt and pepper and stir.
  • Slowly spoon this mixture over the rusk and grated tomato topping.
  • Drizzle with about 1/2 teaspoon olive oil.
  • Top with your crumbled feta, olives, oregano, and drizzle more olive oil over the top (use as much oil as you like).
  • Let sit for 5 minutes.
  • Enjoy!

Notes

Your rusk should be softened by spooning the grated tomato and tomato juice over top but it should not be mushy.  If you find that your rusk is not yet soft enough to easily break apart, either wait a little longer or add a small amount of water (1 teaspoon) to it.
This recipe can easily be multiplied to serve more people. 

 

Thanks for sharing!

8 Comments

  1. Elaine T. Chyrklund says:

    Just back from 2 weeks in Crete, and the food is amazing! I love dakos and this recipe is so simple and so good! Dreaming of dakos in a seaside taverna right now…..

    1. miakouppa says:

      Oh amazing!! Isn’t it just an amazing island? We can’t help you with the seaside view, but we think this recipe will transport you back there 🙂

  2. Kathy Roussis says:

    Love making dakos! When I lived in Greece we used Katiki which we cannot obviously find here so our version is to top the dakos with a mixture of thick Greek yogurt and feta cheese. It’s creamy with a touch of salty.

    1. miakouppa says:

      Oh that’s a great idea about the Greek yogourt and feta cheese! We will definitely give that a try! Thanks Kathy 🙂

  3. Nick @ GreekBoston.com says:

    Dakos is one of those traditional foods in Crete that is fairly unique to the island. What really makes this taste delicious is choosing the ripest tomatoes possible!

    1. miakouppa says:

      Absolutely Nick! The ripest tomatoes are essential. 🙂

  4. I ate this for breakfast almost every morning in Crete and is was fantastic! So delicious. Thank you for bringing me back to that trip. I have some dakos paximadia in my pantry and will make this tonight.

    1. miakouppa says:

      What a great way to start the day Denise!! And you’re welcome! Hope you enjoyed your dakos 🙂

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