Original Cretan Dakos Recipe That You Will Love!
Also known as kritharokouloro, Cretan dakos can usually be prepared in two different ways. One is a bruschetta-style dish, featuring fresh tomatoes and plenty of extra-virgin olive oil, known in Crete as koukouvayia and kouloukopsomo in eastern Crete. You can also serve dako inside a Cretan salad.
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Cretan Dako
Ingredients (and how to replace them if you’re not in Crete!)
Dakos is a super easy dish as it has very simple and seasonal ingredients. It is made with half a dako rusk and Greek summery toppings: tomato, oregano, myzithra cheese, olive oil, and sometimes capers.
MYZITHRA CHEESE
A dako dish is often made with fresh myzithra cheese, which you can replace with Greek feta cheese. And yes, we know, you won’t find myzithra around the corner if you’re not on Crete. However, you can always find alternatives or use your imagination to obtain a similar dish!
>> Read more: How to Replace Myzithra.
Ricotta Tip
Strain ricotta overnight to obtain a kind of cheese that’s similar to fresh mizithra — perfect for Cretan pies, pastries, or savory fillings. Want to learn more? Check out our full guide: How to Replace Mizithra .
BARKEY RUSKS
Locally known as paximadia, the rusks most commonly used to prepare dakos are often barley rusks. And if you love this dish as much as I do, it can be an easy solution to bring home a pack of rusks with you. They often have a very long shelf life.
Another option is to replace the rusk with rustic bread cut into fairly thick slices and dried in the oven at a very low temperature, allowing most moisture to evaporate.
When buying Cretan barley rusk or dakos, get the softest variety available. If it is hard to break or bite into, sprinkle it with water or soak it slightly… When doing this, please be extremely careful not to turn it into mush, so add just a few drops at a time and check how the rusk is soaking!
EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL
Yes, another key ingredient. Although not always easy to find abroad, good quality olive oil, if possible Cretan, can make all the difference in taste.
Make sure you use a thick, dense oil for better results. If on Crete, get yourself a can of the tsounati variety olive oil; it’s a bit spicy and ideal for salads, uncooked vegetables, and dakos!
A Secret Dressing for Dakos?
In order to get the best possible Dakos, which tastes like the one you might enjoy on Crete, you will first need to prepare a good Greek salad dressing.
When to Have a Dakos
Dakos is an amazing summer dish for days when it’s too hot to even walk to the nearest beach tavern at the beach. It is light and delicious and can be easily made anywhere in the world if you manage to live without myzithra.
What Cretan Wine Goes Better with Dakos?
- Red Cretan Kotsifali
- White Cretan Vilana
- In the mood for a rosé? Try dakos with Manousakis Pink or Dourakis Grenache Rosé.
Cretan wine pairing by talented local sommelier, Anna Maria Kambouraki.
Cretan Dakos
Ingredients
- Dako barley rusks usually one per person (slightly soaked in olive oil, water, or a mix of both, if needed).
- 1 large (or 2 small) grated tomatoes grated (save the tomato juice).
- 2 tbsp grated feta, myzithra, or anthotyro (soft white Greek cheeses) or a combination of them all. You can replace it with a soft, slightly salty, or sour cheese.
- 1 tbsp Greek salad dressing
- oregano
- toppings of your choice basil leaves, olive slices, capers, onions with brunoise chop, or chives.
- olive oil extra virgin.
- salt and pepper to taste.
Instructions
- After making sure that your dakos are soft enough, place them on a tray, not too close to each other, make sure that the tray can gather all the juices.
- Soak them a bit by adding the leftover tomato juice and half (1/2) tbsp.) of the Greek salad dressing. Otherwise, use pure Extra Virgin olive oil.
- Add the grated tomatoes on top after you have seasoned with salt and pepper.
- Add a good quantity of myzithra cheese or crumbled feta cheese over it and sprinkle with oregano.
- Decorate with any of the toppings mentioned on the list, and add an extra drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Notes
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Servings are normally one per person. Dakos are a great meze, an appetizer but also a complete light lunch, or a late night snack.
Pin for Later
How to Make the Best Cretan Dakos
Gabi Ancarola
Gabi is a travel writer who has lived in Crete for over a decade. Through her blog, Crete Insider, she has helped travelers uncover local experiences. Passionate about food and Cretan cuisine, she now attends Greek cooking lessons to bring the island’s flavors straight to your kitchen!
>> Interested in learning to cook in Crete, or discovering all of the top spots to eat in Chania and around the island? Book a food tour or plan your trip with me.
