Flaming Greek cheese saganaki, flambeed fried cheese

A dramatic Greek appetizer or meze made with Greek cheese, often kefalotyri or kefalograviera, which is floured, fried and then flambeed with ouzo. Served with fresh lemon juice, this is the perfect Greek starter.

Growing up in a Greek home it was not unusual for things to get dramatic! Conversations were loud, crowds always gathered, and the kitchen was a flurry of activity. What some might call chaos, we called family gatherings.

The drama of the Greek kitchen is captured beautifully in the iconic flaming Greek saganaki. Greek cheese, coated in a flour coating, and fried until crispy on the outside and oozy on the inside. This is how my parents made it. In many Greek restaurants however (more common in restaurants outside of Greece actually), things get a little hot! Alcohol is poured into the hot pan and is lit. The pan flambes and the result is a dramatic fire, that burns out as the alcohol burns away. Served with a fresh squeeze of lemon juice and crusty bread, this is an amazing Greek celebration!

Now, with great attention to safety, I share how you can make your own flaming Greek cheese saganaki at home.

Key ingredients

Kefalotyri or another hard Greek cheese It is true that you can use a variety of cheeses to make saganaki. My favourite however is kefalotyri, a hard cheese that is so delicious. You can also use kefalograviera, kasseri, halloumi or even feta.

Flour The main ingredient in the flour coating is all purpose flour, also called regular or plain flour.

Breadcrumbs I like to add a bit of breadcrumb to my flour mixture. I use plain, unseasoned bread crumbs. I find that it changes the texture of the coating just a bit, and it is perfect!

Sugar As with the breadcrumbs, a bit of sugar gives you specks of caramelization on the coating. Don’t worry, your saganaki will not be sweet!

Ice water This is my technique for making the best Greek saganaki. A bowl of ice cold water helps keep the flour coating in place, on the cheese, so that you get a nice crispy coating.

Oil for frying I use olive oil to fry my cheese saganaki!

Ouzo I like the anise flavour of the ouzo and I always have it on hand so it is the obvious choice to set off my flambe !

Lemon Fresh lemon juice squeezed over the flaming Greek cheese saganaki is a must! So good!

How to make it

Step 1
Find two bowls whose dimensions are larger than the pieces of cheese.  In one, mix together the flour, sugar and breadcrumbs.  Fill the second bowl with ice water.

Step 2
Pour enough olive oil into a frying pan so that it covers the bottom of your pan and is about 1 cm deep. Heat over medium heat.

Step 3
Taking one piece of cheese at a time, dunk it into the ice water and then coat it with the flour mixture.  Dunk back in water, then back in flour.  Finally, dunk quickly in the water for the third and last time.

Step 4
Immediately place your cheese into the preheated frying pan.

Step 5
Repeat with the other pieces of cheese, and fry as many as you can at the same time, without overcrowding the pan.

Step 6
Fry each side for about 3 – 4 minutes until golden brown.  Flip over carefully and fry on the other side.

Step 7
Remove the pan from the heat source and add the alcohol. Be sure to set the pan on a surface with plenty of space over it. Use a long handled lighter to set the alcohol aflame and step back. In a few moments the alcohol will burn off and the flame will die out.

Recipe substitutions

I like to use kefalotyri when I make cheese saganaki, but there are other cheeses you can use too. Greek cheeses that would work well include kefalograviera, kasseri, graviera, halloumi and even feta.

If you prefer to keep things simple coat your cheese in flour only – skip the breadcrumbs and sugar (although you should really include the breadcrumbs and sugar! 😉 )

I like to fry my Greek cheese saganaki in olive oil, but you could use another oil if you prefer. Avocado oil or grapeseed oil, or even vegetable oil would work fine.

To make my flaming Greek cheese saganaki I add ouzo to the pan. You can also use Metaxa or a cognac or brandy.

Use caution when flambéing your Greek cheese saganaki

Pouring alcohol into a hot pan and then lighting it is dramatic and impressive, but it is also dangerous. In order to do this safely, follow these guidelines.

• Remove the pan from the heat source for at least 30 seconds before adding the alcohol.
• Make sure that you have a lot of space above your pan; for example, do not place your hot pan on a surface with a cupboard right above it.
• Do not wear loose clothing, especially loose sleeves when flambeing your saganaki.
• Keep children and pets away.
• Use a long handled stick lighter to light the alcohol and stand back. Once you have a flame, allow it to die out on its own – this should take just a few seconds.
• Be sure that you have a way to put the fire out should it get out of control. A fire blanket or a fire extinguisher are good options. Never pour water on a grease flame (which this sort of is, given the oil in the pan).
• If you are nervous about this step, skip it! Make Greek Cheese Saganaki without the flame. Serve it with a shot of ouzo on the side if you want the alcohol! Opa!

Helpful hints

Now that safety has been addressed, here are some more helpful hints to make sure you get the crispiest, ooziest, most delicious flambeed cheese saganaki!

The ice water is a must! The water bath does two things. The first dunk in the water ensures that you get flour to stick to the cheese. The last dunk in the water makes sure that when you add the cheese to the frying pan, the flour seizes up as it gets crispy. You will notice that the flour does not come off in the oil because of the water. I use a similar technique, for the same reason, when I make Fried zucchini chips.

Make sure that you use a frying pan large enough to hold all your cheese at once, if possible. This is less of an issue if you are making cheese saganaki without the alcohol. If you are going to be flambéing it however, you want all the cheese in the pan so that it all gets some of the alcohol flavour.

When we can, we like to make our flaming cheese saganaki outdoors, on the burner of our outdoor grill. It is a great safe way to make this dish. Just be careful that there is no wind! You do not want the wind carrying away your flame!

Related recipes

If you love this incredible Greek meze then I know you will also like these recipes:

Shrimp saganaki (Greek shrimp with tomato and feta) A showstopping recipe! You will not need another shrimp saganaki recipe.

Kefalograviera crackers with sesame seeds (Κροτίδες με κεφαλογραβιέρα και σουσάμι) A bit of effort, but so worth it! Warning, these are delicious!

Grilled Greek manouri cheese with honey A lesser known, but amazing Greek cheese. All it needs is a simple grilling to elevate it to something amazing!

Fried phyllo wrapped feta A delicious way to enjoy creamy feta, wrapped in phyllo that gets fried until crisp. So good!

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