Go-to favourite: fried halloumi

My favourite kind of cooking (and for that case, eating) are things that taste delicious, take no time to cook and are devoured by friends and family. This is a very simple pre dinner drinks snack that we roll out often when friends are over. It also gets smashed out at dinner time as a side – perfect for BBQ’d lamb or meats with a delicious salad – my girls LOVE squeaky cheese as they call it. You could even roll this out for a large crowd for breakfast…halloumi is good ANY time of day! It’s salty, and when cooked up gets this delicious crust on the outside. Serve it with mint and lemon juice for a zing of freshness….you will love this.

You can get halloumi in any supermarket these days – 10 years ago probably not the case – but it’s a staple in the cheese section now. It’s a Cypriot semi-hard, unripened brined cheese made from a mixture of goat or sheep cheese. As it has a very high melting point it can be easily fried or grilled.

Fried halloumi with mint & lemon

1 packet halloumi sliced into 1 cm pieces
Sprig of mint
1 lemon

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1. Take the halloumi from the packet and pat dry with paper towel to remove the excess moisture

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2. Cut into 1 cm pieces

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3. Try up the heat on a frying pan to high and wait until hot before adding the pieces in. I don’t add anything else to the pan – no oil, no butter, just the cheese. The cheese will release some liquid while cooking (the whole pan can bubble up) I wait until it has all evaporated before turning the cheese with a fork.

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4. It just takes a few minutes each side until that you get that colour then serve immediately

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5. I finely shred some mint

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6. And then cut lemon CHEEKS (cheeks make anything fancier) cutting just the sides of the lemon

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7. And serve immediately to hungry guests with a drink in hand. You can also fry up some chorizo for a kind of tapas. Otherwise serve as a side for lunch or dinner.

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There won’t be any left. Every time. Promise.

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Are you a halloumi lover like me?
How do you like to eat it? In salads? With breakfast? By itself?!

Comments

  1. Unnfffff yes please! You’ve inspired me. We’re going to have this for snack soon!

  2. It’s the freaking best. I love with lime squeezed all over it.

  3. Yes I LOVE haloumi, just don’t get to eat it often because we avoid dairy. Waa!

  4. Fried morsels of chorizo and haloumi as party food, the best, with a drink
    The teens love it for brekkie with bacon, eggs and mushrooms, spinach and oven baked tomato and mushrooms…when they have been co-operative all week, this is their Sunday reward brekkie

  5. An easy summer salad is haloumi, roasted chunks of pumpkin or kumara, rocket and plenty of good oil and lime or lemon juice. Sprinkled with pine nuts.

  6. Confession time…….I have never tried haloumi. You have inspired me to give it a go 🙂

  7. Goodness, YES! Love the addition of mint and lemon and also love your tips on patting dry the cheese and not adding anything to the pan. Methinks a weekend BBQ is in order…

  8. Yum! I also love Kefalograviera done the same way, but just the whole piece.

  9. OK so first I am off to google Kefalograviera thanks to Alison and then make my self Halloumi for lunch!!.. I love that stuff .. I out it through salads instead or adding dressing or salt.. makes even boring lettuce amazeballs

  10. Yep definitely a fan!:)

  11. Lisa Mckenzie says

    Yes I do like haloumi but I don’t eat it very often being lactose intolerant!

  12. That’s it. Making some now. x

  13. We don’t eat enough of it. I’m putting it on the shopping list to bbq this weekend.

  14. Honestly, there’s not a lot I wouldn’t do for some haloumi.

  15. I just love Haloumi, I have only just recently become a convert. I am definitely trying your tips though, it looks yummy!

  16. It’s lovely at breakfast time with poachies, sourdough, rocket and a lovely morsel of crispy bacon.

  17. Yes we are huge haloumi lovers in the Pav household! It’s perfect as an after school snack and my kids call it ‘squeaky’ cheese too! We love it with lemon but I haven’t tried the mint, I’ll have to give that a go, thanks for the tip 🙂

  18. Been eating it a lot lately, mainly in salads but sometimes on its own. Only recently did I discover that haloumi is greatly enhanced by a squeeze of lemon. Now I can’t get enough !

  19. Love me some haloumi! I love it with tomato and basil. Yum!! Will give the mint and lemon a go x

  20. My girls call it squeaky cheese too. We always have it with lemon but haven’t rolled the mint. Will try it next time.

  21. I cook mine in the sandwich press, cooks both sides at once that way!

  22. LOVE Haloumi! Roast beetroot, pine nuts, Haloumi stirred through pasta!

  23. my kids call it squeaky cheese too. I have a hankering for this right now! dammit.

  24. Get in my belly haloumi!
    I just about always have a block in the fridge.
    So good for a quick lunch…or dinner…or snack.
    My current pregnancy favourite is a breakfast sandwich with egg, bacon, haloumi, rocket and some tomato relish.

  25. Yum!
    Zadada and I love haloumi Beth. We had some just this week on Turkish burgers with salad and Swiss mushrooms. I can’t wait to try your go-to out on some unsuspecting visitors. Have a great weekend!

  26. I love Halloumi too – if there’s a block in the fridge I often sneak a crafty chunk when no one is looking! My fave go to serving suggestion is a zingy sauce made with capers, lime juice, coriander and garlic! I might just put it on my Blog 😉

  27. Karen Leschnik says

    I am a fried haloumi virgin. Maybe It’s time to pop that cherry,

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