Dakos Kritikos– Cretan Dakos is a beloved summer light meal. A double-baked hard bread is topped with juicy tomatoes, mizithra cheese, herbs, and lots of extra virgin olive oil. It’s ideal for a wonderful breakfast, lunch, or light dinner. Beluga Lentils Salad!
If you love this Cretan Dakos, you will also love this Cherry Tomato Salad, Roasted Corn Tomato Salad, or Beluga Lentils Salad!
Why you will love dakos
Recipe Q & A
Dakos is double-baked hard bread found in Crete and all over Greece. It’s mainly called paximadi and in Crete, it’s called dakos when shaped rectangular, and kritharokouloura if it is round. It is made of barley and wheat flour
It was created as a product of necessity, as double-baked bread was preserved for a long time without fear of spoiling. This type of bread has been around since ancient times. Similar kinds of paximadi are made all over Greece with various mixes of flour. In Greek grocery stores, there are many kinds of rusks, including small in size that can replace croutons in a salad like in this authentic horiatiki.
Every Greek and Mediterranean grocery store will have at least one kind of rusk. You can also find them online at Titanfoods and Amazon.
Mizithra is a creamy white cheese and its flavor can be midly sweet or sour. Here we use sour like Xynomizithra Kritis PDO. You can find soft sour mizithra in Greek and Mediterranean stores like Titanfoods in Astoria, NY. Don’t get the hard mizithra that is used for pasta.
What cooks say:
“Made this on a whim so no time to order the cheese or rusks ahead of time. With some modifications based on available ingredients, it turned out great and as simple and quick as promised. […..] Given how fast these disappeared, I probably should have made more! YUMMY”
VALERIE TETRO
Here is what you need
- Rusks. You can use both rectangular or round rusks.
- Sour mizithra cheese. Mizithra is a creamy white cheese and can be midly sweet or sour. Here we use sour Xynomizithra Kritis PDO. You can find soft sour mizithra in Greek and Mediterranean stores like Titanfoods in Astoria, NY. Don’t get the hard mizithra that is used for pasta.
- Ripe tomatoes. Any kind. Heirlooms, cherry tomatoes, and sugar bombs are all great as long as they are in season. If an out-of-season dakos craving happens to you, use Campari tomatoes. They are sweet and similar to Greek tomatoes.
- Fresh oregano. Substitute with fresh basil, spearmint, or parsley.
- Dried oregano. Dried basil, thyme, or spearmint works just as well
- Sugar. It adds an extra sweet note sweetness and eliminates any acid from the tomatoes.
MIZITHRA CHEESE TIP: Make a creamy white cheese mixture similar to mizithra by mixing equal parts of fresh ricotta cheese and feta.
How to make dakos
STEP 1. Put half the extra virgin olive oil, tomatoes, sugar, red wine vinegar, dried oregano, and a teaspoon of fresh oregano leaves in a bowl.
Mix gently and let it sit for 15 minutes.
STEP 2. Place each rusk on a plate or all on a platter.
Drizle the rusks with a bit of olive oil. Divide the tomatoes on top of the risks equally. Top each rusk with the xinomyzithra.
Let the loaded dako sit for a few minutes to soak up the tomato juices.*
Drizzle on top the remaining oil, sprinkle fresh oregano and serve immediately after assembling so the rusk is slightly softened but not soggy.
DAKOS TIP: The tomato juices are enough to soften the rusk. In case it is really hard, immerse it for a second in a deep dish of water or pass it under running very quickly.
Additional toppings for dakos
- Balsamic vinegar. Or balsamic cream. You can add a teaspoon to the tomato mixture instead of sugar and vinegar and drizzle a bit on the top of the dakos for serving.
- Olives. Slice some pitted olives or use three or four whole (without the pit).
- Capers. Add a hand full of capers or chop them up and add them to the tomato mix.
- On the island of Zakynthos in the Ionian Sea, they make their own type of dakos. They serve rusks with tomatoes, olive oil, oregano, and prenza, a type of homemade cheese salad. Or they use local ladotiri cheese. It is a spicy cheese preserved in olive oil in clay jars. Soft in the early stages of maturation, it gets spicy as it matures. They also add olives, anchovies, sardine paste, or herring.
How to serve dakos
- As an appetizer: Serve as a meze with other Greek appetizers like Cretan handpies kalitsounia, marinated olives and fried crispy calamari kalamarakia.
- On a platter: Serve individual dakos or arrange several on a platter for a crowd like these .
Dakos Kritikos
Ingredients
- 4 round rusks
- 1½ cups soft sour mizithra cheese or feta
- 1 large ripe tomato cubed or
- 1 cup extra virgin olive oil total
- fresh oregano sprigs
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- sea salt
- freshly ground pepper
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
Instructions
- Put half the extra virgin olive oil, tomatoes, sugar, red wine vinegar, dried oregano, and a teaspoon of fresh oregano leaves in a bowl. Mix gently and let it sit for 15 minutes.
- Place each rusk on a plate or all on a platter.Drizzle the rusks with a bit of olive oil. Divide the tomatoes on top of the risks equally. Top each rusk with the xinomyzithra.Let the loaded dako sit for a few minutes to soak up the tomato juices.
- Drizzle the remaining oil and sprinkle fresh oregano.Enjoy!
Notes
-
- Rusks. You can use both rectangular or round rusks. Every Greek and Mediterranean grocery store will have at least one kind of rusk. You can also find them online at Titanfoods and Amazon.
- The tomato juices are enough to soften the rusk. In case it is really hard, immerse it for a second in a deep dish of water or pass it under running very quickly.
- Sour mizithra cheese. You can find soft sour mizithra in Greek and Mediterranean stores like Titanfoods in Astoria, NY. Don’t get the hard mizithra that is used for pasta. I make a mix of half ricotta cheese and feta to create a similar taste and texture to sour mizithra. Or I crumble a block of feta and use it as a topping.
- Ripe tomatoes. Any kind. Heirlooms, cherry tomatoes, and sugar bombs are all great as long as they are in season. If an out-of-season dakos craving happens to you, use Campari tomatoes. They are sweet and similar to Greek tomatoes.
- Fresh oregano. Substitute with fresh basil, spearmint, or parsley.
- Dried oregano. Dried basil, thyme, or spearmint works just as well.
Additional toppings
-
- Balsamic vinegar. Or balsamic cream. You can add a teaspoon to the tomato mixture instead of sugar and vinegar and drizzle a bit on the top of the dakos for serving.
-
- Olives. Slice some pitted olives or use three or four whole (without the pit).
-
- Capers. Add a hand full of capers or chop them up and add them to the tomato mix.
-
- On the island of Zakynthos in the Ionian Sea, they make their own type of dakos. They serve them with tomatoes, olive oil, oregano, and prenza, a type of homemade cheese salad. Or they use local ladotiri cheese. It is a spicy cheese preserved in olive oil in clay jars. Soft in the early stages of maturation, it gets spicy as it matures. They also add olives, anchovies, sardine paste, or herring.
Nutrition
