Marinated Feta With Lemon and Oregano

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If you are looking for a simple appetizer to bring to your next summer cookout, try this 3 ingredient Marinated Feta With Lemon and Oregano. Made with fresh ingredients and conveniently scalable, you can make this easy appetizer for yourself or for a large group. 

Almost no prep is required and all the work is done through marination making this delicious marinated feta a very hands off recipe! The briny feta stands right up to the tartness of the lemon peel and the warm earthiness of the oregano. 

I love to serve this briny feta with slices of crusty bread and a chunky tomato and cucumber salad, or as part of a mezze platter. It’s also great as a topping for Greek salad. You can even add olives to the marinade (like whole kalamata olives) to make marinated cheese and marinated olives at the same time! 

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Feta Cheese

Feta cheese is a salty, crumbly Greek cheese that’s made out of sheep’s milk and is usually packed in brine. Some fetas use a blend of goat’s milk and sheep’s milk, and it has a distinct flavor that is sharp and pastoral. 

You can often find two varieties of feta at grocery stores- pre-crumbled and block style. For this marinated feta recipe, we are using the type of feta that is sold as a solid block, as it retains nice large chunks of cheese which are perfect for marinating! 

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Lemon

For this recipe I used a type of lemon called a Eureka lemon- which are commonly found at grocery stores. You can use a Meyer lemon in this recipe, but the lemon flavor will not be as intense. Meyer lemons are sweeter and less acidic than other lemon varieties, which is why I opted for a common Eureka lemon to really let the flavor shine through.

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Oregano

A small handful of fresh oregano will be sufficient for this recipe. I recommend looking for fresh oregano if you can.

You can substitute dried oregano in this recipe too! Just use about 2 teaspoons of dried oregano in place of the oregano sprigs.

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Serving Marinated Feta With Lemon and Oregano

Because the marinated feta needs to be chilled, sometimes the olive oil can harden in the fridge. Around 30 minutes prior to serving, remove the dish from the fridge and let it come up to room temperature. The oil will return to its liquid state, and the cheese will actually have a better flavor. 

Crusty bread like a baguette or warm flatbread is the perfect accompaniment to this easy appetizer, but a side of pita chips are also delicious. I like to also serve this quick Shirazi Salad on the side to stuff into the flatbreads with the cheese. It’s the perfect light summer lunch and I cannot get enough of it when tomatoes are in season! 

Adding more herbs is a great way to take this base recipe and switch it up depending on what you’re in the mood for! Some other fresh ingredients you can add to the marinade:

• Fresh parsley
• Fresh rosemary sprigs
• Red pepper flakes
• Garlic cloves
• Black peppercorns
• Sliced red onion
• Fresh basil leaves
• Fresh Thyme

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What To Do With Leftover Oil

Don’t throw out that oil! It’s not everyday that you use an entire cup of olive oil for a recipe, and it certainly has more opportunities outside of this recipe. The longer the oil is left to marinate, the more flavor it will have. Lemon and oregano are natural partners, and I love to use the infused oil as a base for salad dressing, to rub on roast chicken, and to drizzle into pasta as a finishing sauce. 

Here are some of the ways you can use up that leftover infused oil:

• Make a salad dressing: In a large jar, combine the drained oil, 1/2 cup red wine vinegar and 6 tablespoons of water. Add in a teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper and any herbs/garlic/chili flakes you desire. Screw on the lid and shake vigorously for about 15 seconds until combined. 
• Crisp up your roast chicken: Add additional flavor to roast chicken by rubbing the infused oil on the inside and outside of the chicken skin before roasting. You can stuff the marinated oregano sprigs and lemon slices under the skin to maximize flavor. 
• Drizzle into pasta: Use the oil to cook your pasta sauce with (it’s great for piccata style pasta-lemon, capers, white wine) or seafood/chicken pasta that is using a white wine or oil based sauce. The possibilities are really endless here so experiment! 
• Make a tadka dip: Take a few lemon slices from the oil and finely chop the peel. Heat up the oil mixture in a small pot until very hot and pour directly over minced garlic, chopped herbs, salt, lemon peel and chili flakes. Spoon the sauce over cool yogurt to make a lovely dip for flatbread.
• ​Reuse the oil for other marinades: Try marinating green olives, fresh mozzarella balls, artichoke hearts, and bell peppers.