It was fairly recently that I was introduced to Saganaki. When I first had it, I was living in Florida and one of my best friends was Greek. The first time we went to a local Greek restaurant together I asked her to recommend something and she immediately suggested Saganaki. I tried it and have loved it ever since. Recently, my boss (who is Greek) was kind enough to give me a copy of her Greek church’s cookbook, which is called The Midas Touch (thank you so much, Katie!). After thumbing through the lovely book I knew right away that I wanted to make Saganaki first.
The recipe for Saganaki is listed in the cookbook without amounts or measurements, so the version I have below is my adaptation, which serves about 4 people as an appetizer.
Saganaki (Fried Kefalotiri Cheese) (Adapted from The Midas Touch by the Women’s Philoptochos Committee of the Hellenic Orthodox Church, Buffalo, New York)
(Yield: serves 4 as an appetizer)
4-6 oz Kefalotiri cheese, sliced into about 1/4-inch thick slabs
1 TB flour
1 TB unsalted butter
Lemon wedges, for serving
Coat the cheese with flour and gently rub off the excess. In a medium pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Once melted, add the cheese and fry until golden brown on both sides. Serve immediately, with lemon wedges to squeeze on top.
I’m Faith Gorsky, the writer, cook, and photographer behind An Edible Mosaic. My goal is to inspire you to get in the kitchen and try something new! Feel free to 
Veronica M. says
May 27, 2010 at 8:17 pmFRIED CHEESE?!!! Yes, please. :D
Anh says
May 27, 2010 at 9:19 pmOh!! I only fry haloumi and it’s soo delicious. I want this dish right now, Faith.
Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella says
May 27, 2010 at 11:29 pmOoh I love saganaki too! I love how goldena nd crispy you’ve made this Faith! :D And I have a special love (ok lust) for halloumi cheese too :)
Heavenly Housewife says
May 28, 2010 at 12:33 amOh yes, fried cheese! I know this is going to be awesome!
Have a delicious weekend!
*kisses* HH
MaryMoh says
May 28, 2010 at 12:58 amI have never heard of this cheese. It looks very delicious.
Chiara says
May 28, 2010 at 3:24 amFried cheese. Heavenly!
Joanne says
May 28, 2010 at 3:52 amMerely the thought of fried cheese has me drooling all over my keyboard. You are an enabler my friend :P
grace says
May 28, 2010 at 4:21 amgrilled cheese is good. fried cheese is heavenly. frankly, i’m weak in the knees just thinking about it. :)
Rosa says
May 28, 2010 at 7:04 amOMG, that looks so good! I love those kinds of cheeses. A delicacy!
Cheers,
Rosa
kalli@fitandfortysomething says
May 28, 2010 at 8:38 amsaganaki is the BEST! i am greek….have i told you before? and this takes the cake for good greek food ;)
Evelyn @ cheers2healthy says
May 28, 2010 at 8:52 amYum!! I’ve never even heard of Saganaki! It looks really easy to prepare too.
Lazaro says
May 28, 2010 at 8:57 amThat cheese is fried to perfection. I am very impressed!
Great job,
Cheers!
Krista says
May 28, 2010 at 10:22 amOh, boy! Fried cheese sure sounds like a decadent treat!!
steph (whisk/spoon) says
May 28, 2010 at 11:28 amso delicious! i make saganaki all the time. yours is perfectly fried!
Blond Duck says
May 28, 2010 at 11:37 amHow can you not like grilled cheese? My favorite is the spinach pies…oh drool!
Jen says
May 28, 2010 at 1:37 pmThis is right up my alley! Yum, yum, yum!
5 Star Foodie says
May 28, 2010 at 6:58 pmThough I’ve had Kefalotiri cheese, I’ve never made Saganaki and I really need to try it soon! Sounds super delicious!
ingrid says
May 28, 2010 at 7:46 pmI love Greek food. I’m not certain but I think I had this before. In restaurants do they common serve it a flame?
~ingrid
tasteofbeirut says
May 29, 2010 at 8:46 amI think that was the highlight of my one and only visit to a Greek restaurant years ago: I could not get that cheese out of my (food-obsessed) mind; never had it again!
so I am going to look for it you are reviving my interest Faith
marla {family fresh cooking} says
May 29, 2010 at 6:40 pmOMG, fried CHEESE! Wow. I have never had this variety of cheese, but it sounds great. I love all Greek food, so I am sure I would be swooned :) xo
Erica says
May 29, 2010 at 6:48 pmThis cheese looks crispy and delicious.
Reeni says
May 30, 2010 at 5:34 pmThis looks perfect Faith! Golden brown and delicious! It looks kind of like a hash brown.
Nicole, RD says
May 31, 2010 at 7:59 pmI just need to find the cheese! Fingers crossed for Whole Foods!!!!
Barbara Bakes says
May 31, 2010 at 9:34 pmI can’t believe this is the first time I’m hearing about this. I love Greek food and I love fried cheese, so it’s perfect for me.
theUngourmet says
June 2, 2010 at 8:54 amYum! I love this! It looks crisp, cheesy and delicious. I’ll have to look for this cheese. I love the name of the church’s cookbook too. :)
Mimi says
June 2, 2010 at 5:35 pmAwesome! I could make an entire meal out of this and a salad.
Mimi
Irina says
May 17, 2012 at 2:04 pmMMMmmmmmmmmmmm I am just back from Athens,Greece and I think their food is the best!
Harv m says
November 3, 2012 at 9:09 pmI make this all the time I loooove it
Harv m says
November 3, 2012 at 9:12 pmBut I make it flaming with conac