This (Cheap) Secret Ingredient Will Make You Actually Look Forward to Eating Salad (I’ve Been Using It for 20 Years!)

I am a halloumi-lover. The appeal of cheese that can be pan-fried or grilled cannot be overstated. I love melty and squishy cheeses as much as the next person, but you can even use halloumi as croutons. Croutons. If left to my own devices, I would happily be eating halloumi at half of my meals. 

Unfortunately, halloumi is pretty expensive. Due to its steep price tag, halloumi has become a “special occasion” cheese in my household, not something I buy with any regularity like, say, a block of cheddar. My salad savior, however, is a much-less-costly-but-equally-delicious cheese that I’ve been eating since childhood called queso de frier. 

Queso de frier literally means “cheese for frying.” It’s a dense, squeaky cheese popular in Latin America and the Caribbean, where it’s often used for making a dish called queso frito or “fried cheese.” It has a high melting point, which means you can throw it into a hot pan or onto a grill and it will brown up, but keep its shape — just like halloumi. It also has a similar, although not identical, flavor profile. It’s savory and salty with just a touch of nuttiness. It’s a miraculous, inexpensive savior. Try it the next time you’re in the mood to fry some cheese. You (and your wallet) will thank me.

Queso de frier is great pan-fried, grilled, or baked on a sheet tray. Try it anywhere you would typically use halloumi.

• Sheet Pan Halloumi with Burst Tomatoes, Summer Squash, Preserved Lemon, and Mint
• Tequeños (Venezuelan Cheese Sticks)
• Grilled Halloumi Salad with Radicchio
• Halloumi & Melon Skewers with Honey-Lime Glaze
• Charred Corn and Halloumi Salad