Pan-Fried Saganaki with Honey-Walnut Dressing
Inspired by techniques from Serious Eats.
Golden pan-fried cheese is topped with a warm honey and walnut dressing for a sweet-savoury bite served straight from the pan.
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Method
- 1
Toast. Toast the chopped walnuts in the olive oil in a small saucepan on medium until golden and fragrant, about 4 minutes.
- 2
Dressing. Add the honey and bubble until foamy, about 1 minute, then stir in the lemon juice and chopped parsley and set aside.
- 3
Heat. Heat the neutral oil in a cast-iron frying pan on high until smoking, about 3 minutes, patting the cheese dry first to limit spitting.
- 4
Fry. Fry the cheese slab until deep golden, about 2 minutes, then flip with a slotted spatula and fry the other side.
- 5
Serve. Off the heat, spoon the warm walnut dressing over the cheese in the pan, garnish with parsley leaves and serve at once with a lemon wedge and bread.

Cat tip
Use a slab about 2.5 cm thick; thinner pieces soften right through before the outside turns deep golden.
More from the cat
- Fry on high heat just long enough to turn the outside deep golden while the centre stays soft.
- Spoon the dressing over while both the cheese and dressing are still warm, then serve immediately.
Storage
Best eaten straight from the pan while hot; it does not keep or reheat well once the cheese has cooled. Cool leftovers in a shallow container and refrigerate within 2 hours (within 1 hour on a day above 32°C).
Equipment
- small saucepan
- small cast-iron frying pan
- slotted offset spatula
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 248 kcal |
| Protein | 9.8 g |
| Carbohydrate | 8.7 g |
| of which sugars | 7.4 g |
| of which free sugars | 6.2 g |
| Fat | 20.2 g |
| of which saturates | 7.7 g |
| Fibre | 0.7 g |
| Salt | 1.07 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
4 g High Protein needs ≥ 10 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
