1. Fry the feta.

A nonstick skillet is by far the easiest way to do this, but a lightly oiled, preheated stainless steel or cast iron will also work.

Heat the pan over medium heat. Plop the cheese into the pan and allow it to sit for several minutes until the cheese browns on one side. This will take several minutes. If you use feta that was suspended in brine, the cheese will give off water at first – this is normal. Just continue to cook until the the water evaporates and the cheese browns. Once browned, flip over the cheese by carefully sliding a spatula under it (the browned bit will try to come off the rest of the feta, so be gentle). Once flipped,  allow it to brown on the other side.

If using manouri or halloumi, the steps are the same – but the halloumi will be the easiest to cook and the fastest to brown because it’s the only cheese of the three that gets melty.

2. Prep the salad.

While you pan fry the feta, make the salad. In a bowl, combine:

• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 cucumber, sliced lengthwise then chopped 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 bell pepper (red, orange, or yellow), roughly chopped
• 1 cup of tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons capers
• 1/2 cup kalamata olives (halved, unless you’re not feeling it in which case just leave them whole)
• 1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves

Toss to ensure the red wine vinegar coats everything. You can add 1 tablespoon of olive oil as well, but I usually do not.

3. Pop the feta on top of the salad.

Eat right away, while the feta is warm!

Sometimes I leave the cheese as is and cut off pieces when I want to eat a bite with the salad. Other times I chop it up and toss it directly into the salad.