Queso Fresco. Quanmonino / Getty Images Signature via Canva Pro.
Queso Fresco is a soft, crumbly Mexican fresh cheese.
It is often made from a mixture of cow’s and sheep’s milk.
Not the same in Mexican cheese parlance as Queso Blanco.
Cooking Tips
Crumble over salads, or dishes to be cooked, or use as a cheese to stuff things with. Queso Fresco softens when heated but doesn’t melt.
Substitutes
- Pressed-dry Cottage Cheese;
- Feta (well-rinsed to reduce the saltiness);
- Ricotta, particularly ricotta salata, made from whey (not whole milk ricotta);
- Or really, whatever cooking cheese you have to hand, but just place it in such as way that doesn’t do anything to encourage it to melt out all over the place.
Washington State Extension Service has released directions for homemade queso fresco.
Nutrition
Attempts by home cooks to make their own from raw milk have led to illnesses. [1]”In 1997 nearly 100 people in Yakima County became ill from eating queso fresco made with unpasteurized milk.” Queso Fresco. Washington State University Extension Skagit County. Accessed May 2022 at https://extension.wsu.edu/skagit/fam/queso-fresco/
Language Notes
When sold in large blocks, it is generally called “adobera.”
References
| ↑1 | ”In 1997 nearly 100 people in Yakima County became ill from eating queso fresco made with unpasteurized milk.” Queso Fresco. Washington State University Extension Skagit County. Accessed May 2022 at https://extension.wsu.edu/skagit/fam/queso-fresco/ |
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