Nakládaný Hermelín (Czech Marinated Cheese) (2024)

Jun 23, 2021 by Victoria · This post may contain affiliate/paid links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Read our full disclosure linked in the footer. · Leave a Comment

Nakládaný Hermelín is Czech marinated cheese. It's sometimes called pickled cheese, although it's not actually pickled. It's very popular in Bohemian pubs, and super simple to make yourself at home! Serve it with rye bread and a cold pilsner.

Visiting the Czech Republic and Prague in particular was one of the highlights of my travels over the years. Not only is it a beautiful country (and city), but I loved trying Czech food and then learning how to make it myself after returning home.

Nakládaný hermelín is a mainstay on Czech pub menus. It's a marinated cheese very similar to camembert and brie infused with herbs and spices in a flavor-saturated oil. It's tasty but not particularly spicy, with just a lot of good flavor and a nice added texture from sliced onions.

Often served as an entire wheel, pre-slicing it into wedges makes it very easy for the home cook, especially if you don't have particularly wide jars. It also helps get the flavor into every bite of cheese!

This recipe for nakládaný hermelín is extremely easy and requires no actual cooking. I highly recommend making it to impress guests with a truly unique cheese preparation. Just note that it requires a minimum of about 3 days to marinate before enjoying it, so plan ahead.

Ingredient notes

• Cheese: Hermelín is a mold-ripened cheese originating in the town of Sedlčany in Czech Bohemia. Camembert and Brie are both fine substitutes for this marinated cheese recipe. If you're vegetarian, make sure to use a vegetarian style cheese.
• Onion: You could use yellow/brown onions, red onions, or white onions in this recipe (it really won't make a big difference). Peel, halve, and thinly slice the onion into half moons. The onion becomes less sharp in flavor as it marinates, and gives the nakládaný hermelín a bit of texture when you eat it.
• Garlic: I mince my garlic, but alternatively you could slice it very thinly for a different look and texture.
• Chili: Nakládaný hermelín traditionally includes sliced (or whole) small red chili peppers. You could also try fresh jalapeno though it's not really traditional. Personally, I like using crushed chili flakes or even ground cayenne pepper instead, which infuses the oil and subsequently the cheese with a bit of a kick but not too much spice.
• Oil: Use a relatively neutral but clean tasting oil for this recipe. I recommend grapeseed, sunflower, or olive oil (but not extra-virgin olive oil which has a much stronger flavor).

How to make it

Portion the cheese into 8 cubes or wedges. In a mixing bowl combine the onion, garlic, chili pepper, paprika, thyme, peppercorns, allspice berries, salt, and bay leaves.

Then add the cheese cubes and stir to coat.

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Transfer the cheese mixture to a glass jar (24 ounces is perfect but larger is fine).

Add enough oil until it’s completely submerged.

Seal tightly and marinate the cheese in the refrigerator for about 3 to 5 days or up to 2 weeks. The oil will get thick and cloudy when chilled (it may stay liquid until the first time you remove the lid, but eventually will thicken).

Allow the jar to sit out at room temperature for about 30 minutes before serving to allow the oil to liquify and the marinated cheese to soften.

Serve nakládaný hermelín with rye bread (marble rye is a great choice) or any other bread you prefer, preferably with a frosty glass of Czech pilsner beer!

Please scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe (in a printable recipe card) including ingredient amounts and detailed instructions.

Expert tips

I’ve seen this made 2 different ways. One where the wheel of cheese is cut crosswise into 2 halves and spread with herbs and spices, then sandwiched closed and either marinated whole or cut into pieces before marinating. The other is like this where it’s cubed and then simply marinated which is a bit easier and just as good.

I reused a 24 ounce jar from a Classico pasta sauce that I had saved. It was the perfect size. You can also purchase 24 ounce jars if you prefer, or use another size preferably slightly larger so you have enough room.

Traditionally this is made by leaving the mixture out at room temperature for days or weeks to marinate. Due to concerns of food-born illness I feel it’s much safer to marinate it in the fridge, and that is what I recommend. Also, when taking cheese out of the jar to eat, make sure you use a clean spoon or fork so you don’t contaminate the rest of the cheese.

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