Recipes
Fried Sesame-Crusted Feta With Honey
Serve this salty-sweet Greek tavern staple with plenty of crusty bread.
- Serves
4
- Time
25 minutes
Breaded and fried feta is a taverna dish that’s welcome wherever it’s served. This version from Dimitris Chantziplakis at Ta Filarakia encases the salty cheese in a crispy sesame crust. Plan to move quickly: It’s best served straight from the fryer, when the feta still spills out at the touch of a fork.
Featured in “At These Greek Taverns, Order a Drink and the Rest Will Follow” by Derek Sandhaus in the Spring/Summer 2025 issue. See more stories from Issue 204 here.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- 1 cup sesame seeds
- Vegetable oil
- Two 7-oz. blocks of feta
- Honey and crusty bread, for serving
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Instructions
Step 1
To a medium bowl, add the flour, baking powder, salt, and 1 cup of lukewarm water and knead until an elastic, sticky dough forms, about 2 minutes.
Step 2
On a rimmed baking sheet, spread the sesame seeds. Cut the dough in half. On a lightly oiled work surface, using oiled hands, pat one of the dough pieces into a rectangle roughly three times the size of one of the blocks of feta, then wrap the dough tightly around the block, pinching the seams to seal. Repeat with the remaining dough and feta. Press each block into the sesame seeds to coat on all sides.
Step 3
Into a large skillet fitted with a deep-fry thermometer, pour 1 inch of oil. Turn the heat to medium-high, and when the temperature reaches 350°F, add the feta. Fry, turning once, until evenly golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain, then to a platter. Drizzle generously with honey and serve hot with crusty bread.
- To a medium bowl, add the flour, baking powder, salt, and 1 cup of lukewarm water and knead until an elastic, sticky dough forms, about 2 minutes.
- On a rimmed baking sheet, spread the sesame seeds. Cut the dough in half. On a lightly oiled work surface, using oiled hands, pat one of the dough pieces into a rectangle roughly three times the size of one of the blocks of feta, then wrap the dough tightly around the block, pinching the seams to seal. Repeat with the remaining dough and feta. Press each block into the sesame seeds to coat on all sides.
- Into a large skillet fitted with a deep-fry thermometer, pour 1 inch of oil. Turn the heat to medium-high, and when the temperature reaches 350°F, add the feta. Fry, turning once, until evenly golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain, then to a platter. Drizzle generously with honey and serve hot with crusty bread.
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