It's a little early in the season to fire up the grill, but if you have a grill pan, a panini press, or even just a skillet, any time is a good time to sear some halloumi and make this vegetarian main-dish salad.
Traditional to Cyprus, halloumi is a briny, squeaky sheep and/or goat's milk cheese. A high melting point makes it ideal for grilling or frying, which miraculously transforms it into a distinctive, golden-crusted cheese with a milky soft center. Although it's featured in a lot of vegetarian dishes in the UK, for some reason halloumi hasn't caught on as much in the US. However, the cheese usually be found at Whole Foods, as well as Mediterranean markets and through igourmet (and, rumor has it, Trader Joe's, though I haven't checked).
I could easily devour an entire block of grilled halloumi, dressed with a squeeze of lemon, for dinner. However, in the interest of greater nutrition, I came up with this lively salad, packed with quinoa, fresh parsley and mint, the warm grilled cheese, and a contrasting relish of spicy quick-pickled cucumbers. I recommend serving it with a glass of Hibiscus Earl Grey Iced Tea for a pleasantly light yet filling meal.
Grilled Halloumi and Quinoa Salad
Serves 2 as a main dish or 4 as a side dish
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 small clove garlic, chopped
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 Persian cucumber or 1/2 regular cucumber, peeled and diced
1 scallion, chopped
1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
1 cup water
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 lemon
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons chopped mint
3 cups lettuce leaves, arugula, or other salad greens
8 ounces halloumi cheese, cut into 8 slices
In a medium bowl, whisk together red wine vinegar, sugar, garlic, red pepper flakes, and a dash of salt and pepper. Add cucumber and scallion and toss to combine. Cover and let stand.
Place quinoa and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer over low heat. Simmer for about 15 minutes, or until all liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff quinoa with a fork and spread on a parchment-lined baking sheet to cool.
In a large bowl, whisk together olive oil and 2 teaspoons lemon juice. Add cooled quinoa, parsley, mint, and lettuce to the bowl and toss to coat.
Heat a grill pan or skillet over medium heat (no oil) and grill the halloumi until golden, about two minutes on each side. (Cheese can also be grilled in a panini press.) When done, squeeze a little lemon juice over the cheese.
Arrange quinoa salad on two plates and top with the halloumi and cucumbers (without liquid).
Can make up to a day ahead and refrigerate. For best texture, add the lettuce and grill the halloumi just before serving.
Related: Recipe: Quinoa Salad with Spring Radishes and Greens
(Images: Emily Ho)
Kart Serving Tray b...

Comments (15)
Oh, please tell me Trader Joe's has halloumi! I love it but can't justify the $10-12 cost very often.
I wish I could make that bowl materialize in my hands right now for lunch. DId not know about halloumi but will look for some.
I've never had halloumi, but this reminds me of an Argentinian dish called provoleta. It's basically a thick slice of good provolone, grilled and sprinkled with oregano and/or red pepper flakes. It's delicious!
I found this cheese in Shoprite's specialty cheese section a couple of weeks ago and have been trying to buy up the whole stock! OMG, so good. I had it in pink vodka sauce and veggies, scrambled eggs, stuffed pita...oh, bliss!
I LOVE halloumi. Our fav Greek restaurant grills it, and it's amazing!!
This sounds so amazing.
@Squiggle Trader Joe's should have halloumi. If not, or if it's too spendy, I really like their fry cheese and I think it would be a good substitute.
Love halloumi as well. Brought some to the first grill-out of the season last week. We sliced it up, tossed with some olive oil, and when it came off the grill squeezed lime over the top. So simple and so delicious.
Love halloumi! It's however been extremely salted whenever I've made it myself - do you know if I've been unlucky with the brands I picked, or is there a way to make it less salty?
Finding this recipe was kismet, because the very day I bookmarked it I also found halloumi, again, at the Raley's supermarket near me. I've only seen it there once before, a year or so ago, so perhaps it's seasonal? Supposedly, the only other place to procure some in Reno is at a funny place called Shaban Mart... Anyway, this dish was AMAZE-balls! The cheese is like a grilled cheese sandwich without the bread, and the mint/lemon combo in the salad is very refreshing. The perfect blend of buttery and salty cheese and cool salad. Every day for the rest of my life? Yes, please!
I feel like such a dope asking this question, but I truly don't know the answer. When a recipe calls for "mint," what flavor profile will be imparted? Is the mint at the store spearmint-flavor? Peppermint? Something else? I even asked this fellow at the farmer's market who was selling snips off his herb plants, and he had mint, but he didn't know.
One reason I'm asking is because I really don't like the flavor of spearmint, but could eat peppermint all day long; however, to me, peppermint seems like an odd flavor for hot dishes.
Any and all enlightenment appreciated!
I'm really lucky - here in Montreal we have access to this cheese at most grocery stores due to the global world that lives in our city. I'm very fortunate - because before this - I was a boring cook - now the world is open to anything I can think of (e.g. I live in a Caribbean community). Can't wait to give this recipe a try - love halloumi - especially when cooked as a sandwich with onions / tomato / fresh mint / lemon (aka Cyprus Sandwich) - num, num!!!
Yay so making this! Now,best way to remove the saltiness, is to simply wash it off (this is what we do to the mature halloumi, which is preserved in the salted milk resudes of the production).
The best way to enjoy halloumi for me is to grill it in a pitta bread with a thick slice of tomato, or as a sandwich, with lountza and tomato.
Great recipe but probably want to remove the "Vegan" tag as it has cheese
@Sharon Bond: spearmint