I love snacking on tasty nibbles, and while I have yet to go to Spain, I think me and tapas would get along just fine. While we are big fans of cheese around this house, especially grilled, I just couldn’t resist making this Marinated Feta Cheese with Chiles and Herbs again. Let me show you how easy it is to make.
Just look at those chunks of tasty feta cheese to eat whole or schmear on crostini!
I recently picked up these wonderfully fiery Birds Eye chiles and knew they would work for getting the salty feta cheese heated up a bit. The Thai bird’s eye chili is small, but packs the heat. As far as Scoville units go, the measurement for how hot a chili is, it measures around 100,000–225,000 Scoville units. This is at the lower half of the range compared to the habanero, but still many times more spicy than a jalapeño.
Cutting up the thick slab of fresh feta cheese I purchased into chunks, I placed them in a cleaned glass jar that can be sealed and allowed them to marinate for a week in a cool dry place.
With some good EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) and some fresh herbs like the licorice scented tarragon and earthy thyme, I layered the feta cheese, peppers and herbs to the top of the jar and filled it with the oil.
What you have are some really tasty cheese chunks that are perfect for a salad, to be spread on crackers or crostini or like I did… right into my mouth. These work great on making a homemade pizza or flatbread, too.
See, not rocket science, but a easy, fun and tasty snack. Feel free to play around with different herbs and if the pepper is not your thing, then simply omit it. Marinated Feta Cheese is easy to make, right?
If you’re looking for other appetizers, try my Bacon Wrapped Tots with Homemade Ranch Dressing, Crispy Chorizo Deviled Eggs, or these Wafflized Mozzarella Sticks with Salsa. Enjoy!
Marinated Feta Cheese with Chiles and Herbs
Ingredients
- 16 oz feta cheese
- 6 Birds Eye peppers sliced lengthwise (See Note 1)
- 12 sprigs of tarragon and thyme each or herbs of choice
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil to cover (See Note 2)
Instructions
- Make sure to clean the glass jar and dry it completely and set aside.
- Cut the feta cheese into 1 inch cubes.
- Layer the jar with herbs, cheese and peppers. Cover with olive oil to the top and seal.
- Store in a cool, dry place to marinate for 3-5 hours. Use immediately or refrigerate (see Note 2).
- Spread on crostini, crumble in salads, over eggs or to top pizza.
- This will keep refrigerated for 3 weeks, bring to room temp before eating as the oil will thicken from the cold (See Note 3).
Notes
- Feel free to experiment with other chiles, a thinly sliced red Fresno chile is another favorite of mine for this.
- Remove from refrigerator at least 30 minutes before serving as oil has solidified and needs to return to a liquid.
- This will keep if covered in oil and refrigerated for 3 weeks. If adding garlic, be aware this must be eaten within 3-4 days due to the risk of garlic's low-acidity and it's possible for spores causing botulism to develop. If no garlic is added (like in this recipe) this will keep refrigerated up to 3 weeks. Do not store at room temperature.
Indeed, marinated cheese is a great addition to salads and appetizers as well as just on its own. I haven’t made them for ages, though so I need to fix this. Love the addition of tarragon – keeping this idea in mind along with that awesome salad dressing, for our summer hebs:)
Ahh that dressing is killer, thanks for reminding me. A neighbor has a blackberry bush, too, so I can’t wait for them to come in season. 😉
Tarragon and thyme I think are my favorite herbs, hope you give this a try Ben.
While I’m not a big lover of feta, I had a real craving for it when I was pregnant, funny enough it wasn’t a safe option! And I couldn’t resist having some! Yours looks so good, I want to try it, but with a less spicy pepper, I know thai pepper are way spicy for me.
The main reason I used the Thai was it was on hand, but from past batches, it needs a real punch to come through. Try different peppers to your liking and make in small batches to see the heat level Farida. Even this batch just has a slight heat kick as an after thought in taste. 🙂
Okay I don’t keep pepper at all in my fridge, but I can look at mom’s ,, will let you know
These are tasty and I’ve had mine last about 3 weeks or so. I keep the jar sealed, on the counter, feta covered in oil and out of direct sunlight. Thanks Farida! 🙂
Thanks for the inspiration! I just picked up lots of Feta Cheese on sale and now I know exactly what to do with them! How long will they last in the refrigerator/counter?
Thank you Hanady! I’ve had mine last about 3 weeks or so. I keep the jar sealed, on the counter, feta covered in oil and out of direct sunlight. Just had one as a matter of fact with some crackers. I only have 3 cubes left!
I am absolutely obsessed with feta cheese! I am always putting feta on crepes, but I have got to try it on salads too. This sounds like the perfect topping for a salad 🙂
Thanks for stopping by Cathleen. They are great toasted on Triscuit crackers, crumbled in soups and on salads, melted on flatbreads and pizzas. Crepes sound wonderful, too. It’s endless, right?
Love marinated feta! I’ve been meaning to make it myself for a while now but haven’t gotten around to it. Thanks for the inspiration. Looks incredibly delicious.
Thanks so much Thalia, I hope you give it ago. I’ve found too the smaller the chucks the better penetration of flavor. BUT keep them somewhat chunky! I love the heat as a slight after burn of the herbal and salty feta. Enjoy!
This looks really good, and too easy not to do. As it sits, do the flavors get stronger and stronger? Or do they tend to level off?
Thanks Jeff. I’d have to say the longer the better. I still have a few chunks left covered in oil in the jar sitting on our kitchen counter (keep out of direct sun!). It’s been at least 3 weeks and they are fantastic. I like the heat I feel on either side of my tongue, its a nice little after bite! 🙂
These little cubes of deliciousness would be perfect on a nibbles platter, for sure. As for Spain, can’t wait to get back there, especially for the pintxo bars in San Sebastian. Now THOSE you would love!
One day soon, Spain will be one we visit. I just love seeing photos of the architecture and museums, let alone all that amazing food. So much to see and do… Cheers!
I am with you 100%! I’m such a snacker too and I think Spain (aka the land of tapas!) would be my happy place. 🙂 Love this idea! A little bit of heat with the creamy, salty feta would be perfection!
Thanks Faith. I just toasted some under the broiler on Triscuit crackers and sandwiched them together. See how you inspired me with your post today? 🙂
Hey Kevin! I have a container of marinated Feta and olives in the frig! Store bought, but pretty tasty. I am sure your version is better! Gary went to Spain many years ago, so he introduced me to tapas and paella. I can’t think of a better way to graze away an afternoon! When we were working a group of us would take the afternoon of the last Friday a month off (we called it “mental health Friday”) and do precisely that! Happy weekend guys! 🙂
Thanks Dorothy. Love your “Mental Health Fridays” – How cool is that and a great way to snack away! We hit up 2 different Spanish restaurants here in San Diego and I love their marinades, lamb dishes and especially the tapas to nibble on while we wait for dinner. So good. The varieties are endless! Enjoy the weekend, it’s actually raining here I’m so happy. 🙂
You don’t even know how much I love this, Kevin! Looks so good! Plus, I have all the ingredients at home to make it 🙂 We have a huge tub of feta in the fridge and this recipe is calling for sure. Hubby & I had roasted veg last night and threw on some feta and it baked and caramelized a bit and was so good. I can only imagine doing that with this feta (or eating straight out of the jar with some crusty bread and wine). Have a great weekend!
Thanks Dawn! Isn’t that great you have it already? Bust out that clean jar and get to marinating! I love feta and it’s Mexican counterpart Cotija cheese. The saltiness is great. When grilled, in a salad or topping a soup it adds that extra punch of flavor. Enjoy the weekend and Happy Friday!
Ooo…this is a good one, Kevin! We had some marinated feta at our neighbor’s Christmas gathering this year, and it was insanely delicious. I’m digging those chilies you used, too. We recently had a huge block of feta in our fridge. We picked it up from Sam’s Club, and then Laura got sick and only wanted chicken soup for 2 weeks. Guess who got left with the feta? This would’ve been a great way to use some of it! (I mean I love feta…but it was a huge block…) #WolfpackMarinates
I can only imagine the size of the feta block from Sam’s Club. I’ve seen the ones at Costco out here! While any chile will do (I’ve even used pepper flakes) these were just outstanding. Have a great weekend you three. 🙂
That looks fabulous…. 🙂
Will have to give it a shot!
Tasty stuff and so easy. The hard part is looking at it for a few days first! Thanks Puja have a great weekend.