Traditional Greek Dakos Salad Recipe (by a Cretan) - The Hungry Bites (2024)

As I was growing up in the island of Crete, Greece, having Dakos on the table very often, didn't let me realize how delicious it is. It was later, when I moved to Athens, that I started to miss it.

Dakos salad is a Greek dish also served in many taverns (mainly in Crete where it's originated) as part of a collection of meze (appetizer) dishes. It's also ideal as a complete meal since it has everything you need: complex carbohydrates, protein, fiber and healthy fat.

If you like Greek food and especially salads, then you should definitely try this traditional Greek salad (Horiatiki) (which can be served in two differnet ways), this Greek cabbage salad (Lahanosalata) which is perfect during the winter, and this Greek chickpea (garbanzo) salad with rice and corn.

😍 Why I love this recipe

These are some of the reasons why I love thisGreek dakos salad recipe:

✓ Simple and quick: You'll need just a few, simple ingredients. And it takes just about 5 minues to make!

✓ Delicious: Something magical happens when the olive oil and the tomato juices soak the barley rusk. The added feta, olives and oregano take this dish over the top.

✓ Textures: The crunchy Cretan rusk, the creamy feta and the grated tomato offer a variaty of textures that make the whole experience even more interesting.

✓ Wholesome:This nourishing Greek bread salad is full of minimally processed ingredients rich in nutrients such as vitamins, proteins, healthy fat, and fibers. Every bite will make you feel that you're doing something good for your body.

📋 Ingredients

For this Cretan salad with ntakos, you'll need the following simple ingredients:

Rusks: The rusks should be Cretan barley rusks (Cretan rusks are very hard so they can absorb the tomato juices without becoming mushy). Most of the times they're made with a mix of whole barley flour and whole wheat flour. They can be round (kritharokouloura) or have the shape of a thick slice of bread.

Though they can be eaten dry, they're usually soaked in water or added to salads to soak some of the juices. This softens them and makes them easier to chew. If you can't find barley rusks you can also use wheat rusks, but the hard kind.

Tomatoes: Use seasonal, organic, very ripe tomatoes with intense flavor.

Olive oil: For this recipe you should only use extra virgin olive oil (filtered or unfiltered).

Cheese: In Crete you will find recipes using Xinomizithra (a sour type of fresh cheese), Anthotiro or Mizithra cheese (a sweet type of fresh cheese) and feta.

Olives: Any type of black olives such as Kalamata olives will do (in Crete, the most common type of olives is Koroneiki, also known as psilolia, and Chondrolia).

No onion, vinegar or black pepper is used in the authentic Dakos recipe.

🥣 Variations

Alternative presentation: Break the rusk in chunks by hand and cut the tomato and feta in cubes. Then mix and toss all the ingredients in a bowl. You can also make a Greek salad (Horiatiki) and add the rusks at the bottom of bowl to soak up all the juices.

With bread: If you don't have Cretan barley rusks, you can make this variation using bread. Cut thick slices of rustic bread and bake them in the oven until dry and crispy. You can use this easy whole wheat bread recipe with raisins and walnuts (omit the raisins and the walnuts if you like) or even this carob and whole wheat bread (carob is another Cretan favorite ingredient). You don't have to soak them with water, the juices from the tomato will be enough. This will be similar to making an Italian bruscetta. Instead of slices you can also cut the bread in cubes and make croutons.

Vegan Dakos: To make this recipe vegan, just omit the cheese. Many times this dish is prepared without the cheese, especially during Lent. It can be a great source of additional plant based protein and pairs perfectly with legume-based dishes such as these Mediterranean lentil soup (Fakes) and my favorite simple Greek chickpeas recipe (oven Revithada).

🔪 Instructions

Follow this simple step-by-step guide to make thebest Dakos salad recipe every time:

Step 1: Cut the tomato in half (from top to bottom) and remove the white part of the stem. Grate it on the largest holes of your box grater, into a medium bowl or a deep plate. Keep grating until all that's left is a thin skin and take care not to hurt your finger on the box grater.

Step 2: Dip the barley rusk for 1-2 seconds into a bowl filled with cold water. Transfer it to a serving dish, drizzle the top with olive oil and add a pinch of sea salt.

You can also wet the rusk by briefly running it under water.

Step 3: Add the grated tomato with all the juices over the rusk and top with crumbled feta cheese.

Step 4: Add some pitted black olives or capers (or both), some dried oregano, an extra drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt (optional). Your cretan Dakos salata is ready to eat!

(Olives and capers are already salty, so if your cheese is also too salty, you won't need the extra salt at the finish).

👨‍🍳 Expert Tips

✤ Cretan barley rusks are ideal for this recipe because they're really hard and don't become mushy when wet. Except from Amazon, I've also found them at Walmart.

✤ Sprinkle the rusk with a bit of salt before adding the grated tomato. Using sea salt flakes is your best option because they don't fully melt, so they give you small bursts of flavor while eating this salad.

✤ For more texture, you can grate half of the tomato and chop the rest into small cubes.

✤ Add plenty of olive oil (less is not more in this situation).

💭 FAQs

🍳 More Mediterranean Salad Recipes:

🎥Recipe Video

📖 Recipe