Cretan Dakos with Grated Tomato, Mizithra & Wild Oregano

⏱ 15 min · Serves 2

Crete's greatest five-minute dish: a craggy barley rusk soaked just enough in sweet grated tomato and green olive oil, piled with crumbled fresh mizithra, capers and a snowfall of wild oregano. Rustic, juicy and impossible to stop eating.

Per serving: 595 kcal · 18.0g protein · 52.0g carbs · 36.0g fat

Ingredients

• 2 large Cretan barley rusks (paximadia), about 150g total
• 4 very ripe tomatoes (about 450g)
• 1 small garlic clove, halved
• 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, ideally Greek
• 1 tsp red wine vinegar
• 150g fresh mizithra cheese (or ricotta salata / mild feta)
• 1 tbsp capers, rinsed and drained
• 8 Kalamata olives, torn
• 1 tsp dried wild oregano
• 1/2 small red onion, very thinly sliced (optional)
• Sea salt and coarsely ground black pepper
• A few small basil or parsley leaves, to finish

Method

1. Halve the tomatoes and grate them on the coarse side of a box grater into a bowl, discarding the skins. Stir in 1/2 tsp salt and the vinegar and leave for 5 minutes so the juices loosen.
2. Rub the cut garlic clove over the rough top of each rusk, then set the rusks on serving plates.
3. Spoon 1 tbsp of the tomato juice over each rusk to soften it slightly, followed by 1 tbsp olive oil. Wait 2 minutes — you want the rusk yielding at the edges but still crunchy in the middle.
4. Drain the grated tomato pulp lightly (keep the juice for a drink or soup) and pile it generously over the rusks.
5. Crumble the mizithra over the top in rough, generous chunks. Scatter with capers, torn olives and red onion if using.
6. Finish with the remaining olive oil, a heavy pinch of wild oregano crushed between your fingers, black pepper and the basil leaves. Serve immediately, before the crunch disappears.