The iconic Cretan ‘horiatiki’ (village style salad) is delightfully simple, filling and quick. It’s Greek salad on toast, but these toasts are anything but ordinary. The paximadi, or barley rusks, are made from whole-grain barley flour – a very filling and healthy snack. You will likely need to source them from a local Greek deli, unless your supermarket has a well-stocked Greek section. They come in all shapes and sizes; however, to make the Dakos salad, choose the larger, round-shaped rusk known as Koukouvagia (Greek for owl 🦉 because they are shaped like an owl’s eye 😃). They are also available salted or unsalted. I tend to use the unsalted version and then season the topping accordingly.
If you’ve travelled through Greece, you will have undoubtedly seen Dakos on the menu. Sadly, it can, occasionally, be a little uninspired. Either the rusk is soggy or too dry, and the topping is a little plain. Give the topping the love you put into a salad. In other words, toss in plenty of the dressing, use super fresh ingredients and season perfectly before you put it on the rusk.
Three Different Dakos Recipes
Like any iconic recipe, there are many versions. The authentic Cretan version is said to have neither onions nor capers. However, rules are meant to be broken. Here are three versions of this salad: the original-ish with oregano, capers, tomatoes, onion and feta cheese (featured in the main post image). Plus, (pictured above), a peachy version with pink peppercorns, whipped feta, a hint of chilli and basil. And a watermelon version – tossed in lemon juice with plenty of black pepper and crumbled Mizithra cheese.
Feta, Mizithra or a Local Soft Cheese
Mizithra is a whey cheese from sheep or goat’s milk and is very similar to ricotta. A very soft, almost sweet cheese which is particularly delicious when fresh. I use this because it’s made locally. But please, use what’s local to you, and if you are not keen on goat’s cheese, choose a soft creamy cheese made from cow’s milk. Again, I use sheep’s milk feta, and I find it really tasty, but choose what’s easy to source and you like!
Indeed, for all three versions, experiment with seasonal fruit and different types of cheese.
I tend not to dunk the rusk in water (as is often recommended) but grate the tomato or fruit onto the rusk and leave it to soak in. Let the juices soften the rusk. Tastier? However, if you’re short of time, dip the rusk very briefly in water and shake off any excess. Make sure you drizzle the rusk with plenty of olive oil before adding the topping.
A delicious lunch snack that’s waiting to be adapted to whatever is in your fridge.
Cretan Dakos Salad
Ingredients
Basic Ingredients for all Three Versions
- 4 Barely rusk halves
- 600 g tomatoes, melon (diced into small cubes) and peaches (cut into thin slices or cubed.
- 300 g feta, mizithra or soft cheese of your choice see notes
- 3 tbsp olive oil plus extra to drizzle
- salt and freshly ground pepper
Tomato version
- 1 small red onion – three quarters finely sliced and a quarter left to grate over the rusk
- 1 clove garlic optional
- 1 tbsp fresh oregano or one tsp dried or both
- 12 large caper berries or two tsp capers caper berries are the larger seed filled fruits – capers and the more common smaller unopened flower buds
Watermelon or Melon Version
- 2 tbsp fresh mint
- juice zest of a lemon
- approx 10-12 black or green olives
Peach Version
- 2 tbsp fresh basil
- 1-2 tsp pink peppercorn
- ½ lemon juiced
- pinch chilli flakes or cardamom or both
- 1-2 tbsp Greek yoghurt to make the whipped feta
Instructions
- Rub each of the four rusk halves with about a quarter of your chosen fruit – for the tomato version, first rub the rusk with the garlic clove and the quarter red onion.
- Toss the remaining fruit into a generous 2/3 tbsp of olive oil. Then, season the peaches with a bit of salt, along with pink peppercorns, chilli or cardamom, basil, and lemon juice. Season the melon with plenty of black pepper, mint, lemon zest. Season the tomatoes with salt and olive oil. You can also add a little vinegar. Check the seasoning and adjust accordingly depending of the saltiness of your cheese.
- If you are using whipped feta for the peach version, in a mini mixer, whizz the feta with a tablespoon of yoghurt – add more yoghurt if you want it more creamy and a drizzle of olive oil. You can also add some more chilli flakes.
- Drizzle olive oil over the rusks, and add the fruity or tomatoey mixtures. Top with your preferred cheese – crumbled or spooned over the fruit.
- Decorate with pink peppercorns and basil for the peaches, olives for the watermelon and capers for the tomatoes. For the tomato dakos, you can add both dried oregano and decorate with fresh oregano or basil.
- One rusk (two halves) is usually enough for one person as a salad, but you may only need one half if serving as a starter. Serve with a green salad and extra oil for drizzling.
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