Fried halloumi salad is a very flavorful vegetarian salad that will please everyone, even the meat eaters. Halloumi if you have not had it before is a sheeps milk and ewes milk cheese made in the Mediterranean and it is salty and firm making it a great grilling cheese that can stand up to heat. If you cannot find Halloumi cheese, a great substitute is Queso blanco frying cheese that can be found in many supermarkets. Some stores will only carry halloumi in the spring since it is traditionally made then.
Where to Buy Halloumi Cheese:
- You can find halloumi in your local grocery store in the specialty cheese section.
- I have also found halloumi at Trader Joes (only in the spring) and Whole Foods market
Halloumi Salad
A delicious and easy salad great as a light meal or side salad
Servings: 4 people
Ingredients
- 1 6 oz package of halloumi cheese
- 1/4 cup of mixed olives pitted spanish and kalamata
- 1 small chili pepper such as serrano seeds removed and sliced thin into ringsif you don't like spicy use 1/2 the pepper or just omit the pepper all together
- 1 shallot diced
- 1/4 white vinegar
- 1/8 cup of olive oil plus 1 tsp for the pan
- 1 bag of arugula salad
- 1/8 cup of roasted and salted pistachios shells removed
- 1 tsp of sugar salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, add your vinegar, sugar and sliced chili peppers and mix well and let sit for 30 minutes to 1 hour to lightly pickle the peppers.
- While the vinegar and chilis are coming together, you can start making your salad.
- On a medium to large platter, add your arugula. In a medium bowl, add your olive oil, olives and shallots and a pinch of salt and mix well and set aside.
- Now, slice your halloumi cheese lengthwise into 1/4 inch slices. You should get about 5-6 slices from one block of the halloumi cheese.
- Pre-heat a medium saute pan over medium high heat. Add your tsp of olive oil to the pan. When the oil is hot, begin adding your halloumi cheese to the pan and cook for about 3-4 minutes a side.
- With a spatula, check to see if the cheese is browning before flipping. If it has a nice caramel color forming go ahead and flip the cheese over and cook the other side for 3-4 minutes. If it is not brown continue cooking until it is and then flip and cook the other side.
- When the halloumi is done cooking, carefully remove it from the pan and place on a cooling rack.
- Going back to the salad, take your bowl of vinegar and chilis and add that to your olive oil and olives bowl and mix it all in. This is your vinaigrette for your salad.
- To assemble
- Take your cooked halloumi and lay it over your bed of arugula. Now taste your dressing with the olives and chilis and see if it needs any salt and pepper (remember that the halloumi cheese is salty so be careful not to add too much salt to your dressing). Drizzle your dressing and all of it's ingredients over the top of the halloumi cheese until it is all used up
- Now sprinkle the pistachios over the top of that.
- Serve your halloumi salad with a nice crusty bread for people to make open face sandwiches with or to eat as a side with their salad.;Enjoy!
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Wow! These photos are beautiful and what a delicious side dish option! I will definitely be trying this out. Thanks for sharing!