Seamus’s Grilled Halloumi with Lemon Recipe

Fried, roasted or gilled, halloumi is one of the best comfort food snacks imaginable. I never buy halloumi for a specific occasion – because of its long shelf life, I leave it the fridge and forget about it. Then one day or evening it comes to the rescue as a late-night supper, a vegetarian option or to help out an impoverished potato dish. Halloumi is Cyprus’s most famous export and is a cheese made from a mix of cows’ and sheep’s milk – sometimes goats’ milk is also included. The fresh curd is cooked, giving it its firm, rubbery texture. It should always be cooked and eaten warm. It is usually fried or grilled but I love topping any roast vegetable dish with thin slices and letting it brown and crisp up in the oven. 

SERVES 4 

Ingredients:

1 packet halloumi (usually 250g) 

1 tablespoon olive oil 

the juice of 1 lemon

1 Beetroot 

1/2 packet of Green leaves

1 tablespoon of Greek yogurt

1 tablespoon of olives 

1 teaspoon of pomegranate

1 tablespoon of Cornichons 

1/4 of a cucumber

Method

Cut the halloumi into slices roughly 1.5 cm thick and brush them with olive oil. You can use a pastry brush or simply rub the oil on with your hands, gently massaging it into the cheese.

Place the slices under a medium-to-hot grill and cook for 3–4 minutes on each side, or until slightly browned. (If you prefer to fry the cheese, cook for the same amount of time in a medium-to-hot pan.)

Remove from the grill or pan, brush with lemon juice and serve immediately.

For the salad, place the leaves on the plate first, then arrange the halloumi, beetroot, yoghurt, olives, cornichons and cucumber on top. Finish by sprinkling over the pomegranate seeds. Dress with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.