Quick and easy marinated feta. The cheese is submerged in olive oil infused with fresh herbs such as rosemary, thyme, chives, and oregano along with lemon peel, peppercorns and hot peppers.

Growing up Greek I always understood that feta is the king of cheeses. It is perhaps the best known Greek cheese and is so loved that it finds its way into so many recipes. Whether it is used to fill kalitsounia, or covered in sesame seeds and fried, or turned into a spicy dip called tyrokafteri, feta makes everything betta! 🙂 In our home, breakfast, lunch and dinner were never complete if there wasn’t an oval shaped bowl holding pieces of feta available. It didn’t really matter what was being served; the general consensus was that feta goes with everything.

When my parents hosted parties and gatherings and felt like they wanted to be a little fancy, the offered feta would be drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with dried oregano, straight from Greece. What a beautiful and simple combination. Memories of feta served this way are what inspired this recipe for herb marinated feta. Here, the olive oil is infused with fresh herbs, including oregano, along with some other stuff, and the feta soaks in it for a few hours, or longer. The feta flavour is enhanced, but not overpowered.

Why I love this recipe

Quick and easy

There is absolutely nothing complicated about this recipe and yet whenever I serve it to guests or even my family, they are so impressed. If only they knew how easy it was and how little time it actually takes!

Infused oil

I take the extra (quick) step of heating the olive oil with the aromatics. This really ensure that all of the flavours get released from the herbs, the lemon peel, the peppercorn and the hot pepper.

So versatile

I have used a combination of fresh herbs that I usually have growing in my garden. I love how versatile this recipe is though. You can use different herbs and different aromatics and still end up with delicious marinated feta.

Key ingredients

Feta I only use Greek feta, which is made with sheep milk or a combination of sheep and goat milk. Be careful not to purchase Greek-style feta thinking that it is the real thing; this is most likely made with at least part cow’s milk.

Fresh herbs The aromatics that I use in my marinated feta include fresh rosemary, thyme, chives and oregano. The result is floral, and lovely.

Peppercorns I don’t want to add actual ground pepper in my marinated feta because I don’t want to have the specks of pepper on my cheese. A great alternative is to get that peppery taste through the use of whole peppercorns.

Lemon peel A hint of citrus is lovely in this recipe. When I remove the peel from my lemon I am careful not to include the white pith, which can be bitter.

Hot chili pepper or flakes I like my marinated feta to have a bit of heat – not too much, just a touch. I use dried chili peppers or chili flakes which work out just perfectly.

How to make it

Making marinated feta is really quick and so easy. The only challenge is waiting a bit before you try it. As with anything marinated, a bit of time makes the flavours better.

Step 1
In a small sauce pot combine the olive oil, the fresh herbs, the lemon peel and the peppercorns. Crush your dried hot pepper so that some of the seeds are exposed and add the hot pepper and seeds to the olive oil mixture as well. Heat over medium heat until the oil starts to sizzle.

Step 2
Transfer your oil and all of the aromatics to a bowl or heat-proof cup in order for it to cool.

Step 3
While your oil is cooling cut your feta into cubes, approximately the size of playing dice.

Step 4
Once the olive oil has cooled, add half your cubed feta to the jar and add in the herbs, peppercorns, lemon peel and hot pepper. Add the rest of the feta and then pour in the olive oil. Your feta should all be covered by oil. If it is not, simply top up your jar with some extra olive oil.

Step 5
Cover your jar or bowl well and place in the refrigerator. Your marinated feta is best either a few hours later, or the next day.

Helpful hints
Truth is, although there are many ways to enjoy this herb marinated feta, mixing it in with something else like a salad will make the herb flavour less pronounced.

We call this an herb marinated feta but the truth is there is more than just herbs going on. Lemon peel, peppercorns and hot peppers all add to the complexity of the marinade.
Just as you want to be sure to use the best quality Greek feta for this recipe, you should also seek out the best olive oil. We find it preferable to source out smaller distributors of olive oil that you can trust and that you know will offer a quality product.

Using pretty jars and decorating them nicely means that you can easily gift this herb marinated olive oil to anyone who likes to eat. This could make a lovely end of school year teacher’s gift, a hostess gift, or a gift to yourself…because you’re awesome, and you deserve it.

How to serve

I love to serve this herb marinated feta with some fresh bread sliced into thin rounds. I also use it to top salads like maroulosalata, or as part of a lovely meze platter. Another great way to serve them is to just pop the cubed pieces into your mouth as if they were popcorn. Go ahead, I won’t tell!

Storing

Marinated feta will keep in the refrigerator for several weeks in a sealed container. Having said that, I have never known it to last that long!

I have some more great feta recipes that I think you will love. Check these out!

Tyrokafteri (spicy feta spread) A Greek classic! Spicy feta made with cheese and hot red peppers. So good!

Warm feta packages Love the convenience of this meze, and the easy cleanup!

Fried phyllo wrapped feta So good! The combination of crisp phyllo and creamy cheese is just incredible!