Spicy Halloumi Salad
A recipe for Spicy Halloumi Salad from the cookbook, Feasts. Tomatoes, red onions, and cucumbers are paired with pan-fried Halloumi cheese and cubes of sourdough bread.
Servings 4 -6 Servings
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 pounds (567 grams) tomatoes cut into rough chunks
- 1 large red onion finely sliced
- 1 large cucumber halved lengthwise, halved again and cut into 1 inch (2.5 centimeters) dice
- 2 tablespoons dried oregano
- Finely grated zest and juice of 1 unwaxed lemon
- Olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Maldon sea salt flakes plus more to season
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 heaping teaspoons cumin seeds
- 2 heaping teaspoons coriander seeds
- 2 teaspoons black mustard seeds
- 1 heaping teaspoon red pepper flakes plus more to taste
- Garlic oil optional
- 4-5 thick slices sourdough bread or similar preferably stale or left out to dry, cubed
- 2 (1/2 pound, 227 grams each) blocks Halloumi cheese each cut into 5 slices
- 1 small bunch (about 1 ounce, 28 grams) mint leaves picked, rolled up tightly and cut into thin ribbons, to garnish
Instructions
- Put the tomatoes, onion, and cucumber chunks into a large mixing bowl. Add the oregano, lemon zest and juice, and a good drizzle of olive oil, season well with salt and pepper and mix well. Set aside.
- Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat, add the cumin seeds, coriander seeds, mustard seeds, and pepper flakes and toast until they release their aroma and begin to brown a little, about 1 minute, shaking the pan and taking care to not let them burn.
- Transfer to a mortar and add the 1 teaspoon sea salt flakes. Using a pestle, crush the seeds lightly to break them down just a little-- you want to keep a lot of the texture. Add the crushed seed mix to the tomato salad and mix well.
- Line a plate with a double layer of paper towels. Set the same frying pan in which you toasted the seeds over medium-high heat and drizzle in some olive or garlic oil.
- Once the oil is hot, add the bread cubes and fry on both sides until deep golden, 4-5 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside.
- Drizzle a little olive oil into the same pan, add the halloumi slices, and fry until golden brown, 1-2 minutes on each side.
- Add the fried bread to the salad and toss well to coat the bread chunks in the dressing. Adjust the seasoning as necessary, then arrange the salad and halloumi on a large platter and sprinkle with mint ribbons just before serving.