Grilled Halloumi and Herb Salad

Method

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1. Soak the sliced onion in the lemon juice while you prepare everything else.

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2. Pat the halloumi slices dry on paper. Surface water steams and prevents browning.

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3. Heat a dry griddle or heavy frying pan over high heat for 3 minutes. No oil in the pan — the cheese has enough fat.

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4. Lay the slices down and leave them 90 seconds without moving them, until dark bars appear, then turn and give them 60 to 90 seconds more.

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5. Toss the cucumber, tomatoes, herbs and the onion with its lemon juice, the olive oil, oregano, pepper and chilli.

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6. Lay the hot halloumi over the salad.

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7. Taste now, and only now add salt. Often it needs none at all.

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Chef’s Tips

• Serve it the moment it comes off the heat. Halloumi turns squeaky and firm within a few minutes of cooling and does not come back.
• Dry the slices. Wet halloumi will not take a mark however hot the pan is.
• Salt at the end, if at all. The cheese carries around 1,200 mg of sodium a serving on its own.

Common Substitutions & Variations

• Fresh herbs work in place of the dried oregano at roughly three times the quantity — a teaspoon of dried is about a tablespoon of fresh, chopped.

Pairing Suggestions

• A cold dry rosé
• Warm flatbread, for anyone not counting carbohydrate
• Olives and pickled chillies

Storage & Reheating

Best eaten immediately. The salad keeps a day undressed; halloumi does not keep once cooked and is better griddled fresh.

Common questions

Nutritional Highlights

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.