Greek-Ish Salad With Marinated Cheese Curds Recipe

This Greek-ish salad ditches the feta cheese in favor of homemade marinated cheese curds, and you're going to love this squeaky, refreshing take on a classic.

Cheese curds may be unfamiliar to anyone outside Wisconsin or Quebec, but these little rounds of freshly made cheese are the dairy industry's best-kept secrets. According to food blogger Ksenia Prints of At the Immigrant's Table, cheese curds are little rounds of curdled milk, the freshest cheese you can usually find without going to a dairy farm.

They taste like young cheddar and make a satisfying squeaking noise when you bite into them. Cheese curds are best when treated very minimally, and Prints loves how they tasted after a brief overnight marinade in herbs and oil. Used in a fresh, rustic Greek salad instead of feta, cheese curds over a North American take on this Mediterranean classic.

The most important part of making this salad is getting your hands on some fresh cheese curds. You may need to go to a cheesemonger if these are unavailable in your local store.

The rest of the ingredients are simple and available in any supermarket. Grab dried oregano, fresh rosemary, and olive oil to make the cheese marinade. For the salad, purchase Lebanese or English cucumbers, ripe tomatoes, a red bell pepper, red onion, kalamata olives, fresh lemon and salt and pepper.

Transfer cheese curds to a small jar or well-sealed container. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, oregano, and rosemary, then pour the mixture over the cheese curds to make a marinade.

Close the jar tightly and shake everything together. This helps the seasonings distribute evenly, which in turn coats every cheese morsel.

Transfer the jar to the fridge overnight, giving the cheese curds time to marinate.

To make the Greek salad, combine the diced vegetables and olives in a large bowl. Prints recommends keeping the veggies cut in large, rustic wedges, just like they do in Greece.

Drain the cheese curds from the marinade oil and transfer them to the bowl. Reserve the oil for the dressing.

In a small bowl, whisk together the leftover cheese curd marinade with the juice of half a lemon. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then whisk everything together to emulsify. Taste, and correct the seasonings as needed.

Pour the dressing over the vegetable salad with the cheese curds. Mix everything thoroughly to ensure an even coating on all the components. Taste the salad, and add more salt and pepper to your liking.

Serve the Greek-ish salad with marinated cheese curds immediately, with additional lemon wedges.

You can store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for a couple of days. But you shouldn't: First, because you probably won't have any salad left, and second, because the curds will lose their squeak and freshness over time.