Grilling cheese seems like a magic trick. You keep expecting the slices of halloumi to start melting between the grates and then...they don't! Instead, this creamy, chewy, mild cheese picks up beautiful grill marks and a touch of smoky flavor. Grillers, say hello to your new favorite ingredient this summer.
Halloumi is traditionally made with either with sheep's milk or a blend of sheep's and goat's milk, but as it's grown in popularity outside Greece and the Middle East, cow's milk halloumi has become more common. Like mozzarella, it is made with rennet and usually cured in a brine solution for anywhere from a few days to a few months.
The cheese picks up its non-melting, grillable super powers when the curds are cooked before shaping and brining. This cooking also gives halloumi a stretchy, chewy texture. You can certainly eat the cheese as is, but it will become softer and creamier when cooked.
In flavor, halloumi is similar to many other fresh milk cheeses like mozzarella, paneer, and queso fresco. When made with sheep or goat milk, it's mild flavor gains a tangy quality. Halloumi is also fairly salty, more so than mozzarella but less than feta.
Grill slices directly over on the grates of a gas or charcoal grill, or skewer cubes for kebabs. You can also cook halloumi on the stove top with a cast-iron grill pan or fry it in a little oil. The halloumi is ready to eat as soon as it's turned golden.
You'll find halloumi at Middle Eastern markets or stores with a good selection of Middle Eastern foods. Whole Foods and other gourmet grocery stores have also started carrying it in recent years.
What do you make with halloumi?
• Grilled Halloumi and Quinoa Salad
• Prosciutto and Halloumi Bruschetta
Related: Vegetarian Skewers Five Ways
(Image: Martin Turzak/Shutterstock)
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I liketo eat it by itself or with cherry tomatoes and olive oil. I also love it with slices of Spanish chorizo. I was introduced to halloumi during a homestay with a Greek family in London and it's become one of my favorite cheeses. I love the texture and that slightly squeaky sound it makes when you chew it.
Halloumi is Greek Cypriot not middle eastern, you make a nice dish but you have the origins wrong !!!!!!!!!!!
I love Halloumi cheese. We had it at someone's house last summer and was a bit skeptical as to what it was but was blown away by how good it was. The first batch I made, I burnt because I wasn't paying attention to it. I now know to watch it carefully. I serve it with just tomatoes that have been cut up with basil, balsamic vinegar and olive oil on top. There is always a fight to see who gets the last piece of cheese. I am quite pleased that the grocery store that I shop at has started to stock it so I don't have to go searching for it anymore
Brush the sliced halloumi with olive oil. I like the sliced to be about 1/4" thick for this.
Grill until browned, about 2 minutes per side.
Top slices with a drizzle of olive oil, sliced red bell pepper, toasted pine nuts and basil.
I also like halloumi grilled, then drizzled with lemon juice, and some chopped fresh mint.
I brush thick slices of halloumi with curry paste (tikka masala is good) mixed with Greek yoghurt and grill it. It is sooo good.
I put a leaf of basil on each side of the slice of halloumi before I grill it and then put it on a bed of mixed greens with cherry tomatoes and torn up mint leaves. I do a really simple dressing of olive oil, red wine vinegar and cumin. The cumin makes it so tasty!
I was so excited to get this from the grill. But no, it had the consistency of rubber. Very disappointing.