Greek-Inspired Cucumber Caesar Salad
A summery, salty alternative to a Caesar salad.
The dressing and crispy chips can both be made ahead, so this is mostly a quick assembly job when you are ready to serve.
Ingredients
80 g crumbled feta
1-2 sprigs fresh oregano, leaves picked
Pinch of chilli flakes (optional)
1 garlic clove, peeled and roughly crushed
1 lemon, 4 strips of peel and all the juice
A few grinds of black pepper
80 ml olive oil
1 baby gem lettuce, broken into leaves and washed
2 small Lebanese cucumbers, or half a large cucumber, peeled into strips
1 long shallot, peeled and thinly sliced
1 small tin of anchovies in oil (about 30 g drained)
2 tortilla wraps or 1 pitta bread, cut in half into 2 rounds (optional, for crispy chips)
Drizzle of olive oil, for the crispy chips
Directions
Start by making the feta dressing. Mix the feta, oregano, chilli flakes if using, garlic, lemon peel and juice, black pepper, and 80 ml olive oil together in a little jar or Tupperware. Shake to mix and break the feta up even more. This can be made a day in advance and kept in the fridge, and will keep well for a few days if you want to make a double batch.
If making the crispy chips, heat the oven to 170 °C with fan assist. Cut the tortilla or pitta into triangles, lay them on a flat baking tray and drizzle with a little olive oil. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes until golden all over, then remove from the oven to cool on the tray. They will crisp up as they cool. These can also be made a day or two in advance and stored in an airtight container.
Assemble the salad on a large serving platter, starting with the washed gem leaves. Scatter the crispy chips all over, followed by the cucumber strips. Top with the shallot slices, breaking them up into rings so they cover the salad.
Shake the feta dressing again and spoon it all over the salad. Top with the drained anchovy fillets before serving.