We used to pay a lot of money for marinated feta. On our quest to source the delicious, creamy version used by our local Greek taverna, we tried just about every type available at the deli counter, including Persian, Greek and Australian. None were quite what we were after.
Then one day, in desperation, I asked the taciturn Greek owner which feta he was using. He grunted, “Bulgarian”. It had never occurred to us to try the inexpensive brined cheeses available at the supermarket, but they turned out to be exactly what we were looking for.
These cheeses often don’t even have “feta” on the packaging. They’re very cheap – we pay about $8 for 500g (a little over 1lb) – and they come with a long expiry date. That’s because the cheese has been brined (soaked in salty liquid) to preserve it. The secret to enjoying it is to rinse and soak it first – it’s way too salty to eat without processing.
Here is the brand we now buy:
This is what it looks like when you first open the container – soaking in a salty brine. Carefully tip the liquid out of the container, then cut the solid block into large chunks. Be gentle, as the cheese can be quite crumbly.
Fill the container with cool filtered water, cover and allow it to sit in the fridge for a few hours or overnight.
The next day, drain the water off. If you can, arrange the blocks so that they fit tightly into the bottom of the container – this will minimise the amount of oil you need to add. Pete will often tip them over, so that they’re packed closely together, but I tend to break them up when I do that, so I don’t bother. The oil isn’t wasted anyway – we’ll use it on our pizzas and focaccias.
Sprinkle over some dried rosemary and a little ground pepper. I slice a couple of cloves of garlic, fry them in a little oil, then add them in as well. Of course, you could add whatever you want here – whole peppercorns and spices might be nice.
Cover the feta with a mixture of extra virgin olive oil and grapeseed oil. The flavour is wonderful, but if you use straight olive oil, it will coagulate in the fridge. We find grapeseed oil works well, but use other vegetable oils if you prefer. Just make sure the olive oil is 50% or less of the total oil added.
Store the marinated feta in the fridge, where it will keep for several weeks. Make sure to keep the container tightly sealed and the blocks covered in oil.
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 
I smile…..because I love marinated feta,especially with sliced black olives and red chillies. And the oils make a fantastic addition to dressings too
Hmmmm…that would be a nice combination!
As our family is a big consumer of the expensive marinated fetta, THIS is exactly what I have been looking for………thanks for the detail….that is just what I need!!!!
I have been buying the same brand of fetta too after discovering it a couple of years ago (recommended by a woman standing next to me at the cheese display in Harris Farm Markets). They do a goats cheese version (blue lid I think from memory) which is also very nice. I think it has become a tad too popular now as it costs about $12 for the 500g tub now in my area…..no longer $6. I haven’t tried marinating it though. I love that (expensive) marinated fetta ….squished on toast…yum! So now I have to try making it myself. I love the way you put it back into the same container it came in, so it fits perfectly. Good thinking BIC!
So that’s what you are supposed to do with it! Ah ha. What a useful and interesting post. I was once given a huge tin of the stuff by a friend, it might have been Bulgarian…. Took months to get through. I don’t know that we see much marinated fetta here, but maybe I just haven’t looked in the expensive corners of the deli counter lately. I usually just make the spanakopita with either dill or mint or sometimes just the tiropitakia (I do like the triangle folding) (and no I don’t make my own phyllo pastry:) ) that and a greek salad is the extent of my fetta repertoire and I try and get greek fetta, there is a lot of danish fetta sold here which is not the same at all.
Julie, hope you enjoy it. You can pick up the brined feta at most big supermarkets and IGAs (in the fridge section)
Spice Girl, you definitely need to move. In our part of Sydney, it’s available at the local IGA for $8/500g (I’ve amended my post accordingly – checked when I was at the shops today). The 1kg tub is $12. I think it’s even cheaper at Franklins, though. I have friends who soak it in milk instead of filtered water – they claim it makes the finished product even creamier!
Jo, agree completely about Danish feta, it’s completely different (and often a bit rubbery for my liking). I’ve never seen feta sold in a tin before!