Pan-Fried White Brined Cheese (Saganaki)
Saganaki is a Greek or Greek-American dish consisting of a hard, white, brined cheese cooked simply with olive oil in a hot pan (traditionally a two-handed vessel whence the name of the dish), usually served with lemon. In American restaurants, it is sometimes flambeed with various liqueurs at the table. In Greece, it is a traditional dish to have both with liquor (as a meze) or at the beginning of the meal to whet the appetite.
- Prep
- 12 min
- Cook
- 1 hr 11 min
- Total
- 1 hr 23 min
- Servings
- As written in source
- Difficulty
- Medium
Timings are approximate — worked out from the method, not measured in a test kitchen.
Ingredients
Quantities are retained as written by the source and do not scale automatically. Tap an ingredient to check it off as you go.
Cooking instructions
Procedure
Heat a small frying pan over medium-high heat.
Procedure
While the pan heats, cut the cheese into slices of the desired size and thickness. Thicker slices will take longer to melt through and may result in burning, while thinner ones will have less chance to brown.
Procedure
Optionally, dredge the slices in flour—this will create a darker and slightly crispier crust, but is an optional step as the cheese will acquire a very slight crust on its own by virtue of the oil and high heat. It will also reduce the spitting somewhat.
Procedure
Add the oil to the hot pan and swirl it around. When the oil shimmers and seems to become more fluid, it is ready. Add the cheese and step back—it will spit due to the brine-water on the cheese.
Procedure
Flip the cheese after a minute or two. A slice of ¾ centimeter should get about 1–2 minutes per side.
Procedure
Serve immediately, with lemon and (optionally) bread.
Notes, tips, and variations
The best and most traditional cheese to use is feta, kefalograviera, kasseri, or kefalotyri.
Photo: Tammy Green from Chicago, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0 · https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0 · Photo source and licence
Wikibooks contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ · Adapted; quantities retained as written. · Original source
Read it through first
Skim all 7 steps before you start — it is the difference between cooking and firefighting.
Scale it
Use the quantities listed in the original recipe. Adjust them manually if making a different batch size.
Storage
Cool completely, then keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.
Reheating
Reheat gently with a splash of water in a covered pan, rather than blasting it, so nothing dries out.
Approximate values per serving. Worked out from the ingredient list — treat them as a guide, not a measurement.
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