Swiss Sérac cheese, a fresh cow’s milk cheese made with whey

Whey cheese is produced when the curds are separated from the whey to make cheese. Ricotta is also a whey cheese, but unlike Sérac, it is often made with sheep’s milk. As a result, you can use your local cheesemonger’s Sérac in most recipes that call for ricotta.

Photo courtesy of Fribourg Region tourist office.

Sérac is made in most regions of Switzerland, and each region has its own version. Some regions smoke it; others flavor it with herbs, spices or pepper.

Sérac cheese is soft and creamy in texture, so it is easy to spread it on bread to make a healthy sandwich or snack, but Sérac is not only a snack cheese. It can also be used to make healthy, quick meals, such as the recipe below. In the summertime, I often use it like mozzarella, with tomatoes and basil or other Italian-inspired recipes.

It is a great way of teaching your children to eat healthy snacks. Top it with fresh fruit to make a healthy, low-fat dessert, or use it for between-meal snacks on chunky whole-grain bread.

Since it is a fresh milk cheese, it does not keep, and should be eaten shortly after purchasing. Because it is made from fresh milk whey, it is also naturally low in fat. In Switzerland, it would have about a 3.8% fat content, the same as milk.

Easy fresh whey cheese and potato salad recipe: Swiss mountain food!

100 g slice of Sérac per person
Finely chopped shallots
Sherry or Balsamic vinegar
Raclette potatoes

Cooking instructions

Cook raclette potatoes until tender. Set aside and keep warm.

Melt butter in frying pan on medium heat. Carefully put slices of Sérac in frying pan. Add shallots and fry until golden brown on both sides.

CAREFUL: Sérac is quite fragile and falls apart when handled, so use a wide spatula to handle and turn it to prevent it from falling to pieces. Try to only turn it once in the frying pan.

Deglaze with a trickle of vinegar.

Serve Sérac with warm potatoes or even with a green salad.

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