The salty cheese made exclusively in Cyprus is absolutely delicious when fried or grilled. This summer, thread it on skewers with chorizo, tomatoes, and drizzled with a honey-lime dressing.
By Helen Buxton
Halloumi cheese, basically a salty, slightly ‘bouncy’ sheep’s or cow’s milk cheese from Cyprus that you fry in a dry pan until hot and crisp.
I’m in the ‘love halloumi cheese’ camp and would highly encourage you to try it at least once. So the key to tasting halloumi at its best is to make sure it ends up nice and hot and crispy. You can either do this by frying slices of it (you buy it in a fat ‘log’) in a dry frying pan – just leave it to cook without moving it until the watery liquid that oozes out evaporates and starts to brown, then flip over and repeat on the other side – OR you can do what I’ve done here and stick cubes of it on a skewer with other yummies … like chorizo and tomatoes and grill/broil.
Now don’t worry if a few bits of halloumi seem to give up the ghost and drop off their skewer as they’re grilling! I can almost guarantee this will happen, but never fear … just grill those bits by the side then sort of squash them back onto the skewer just before serving! < this ‘technique’ is of course indicative of how careful & precise I like to be while cooking!
Don’t skip the honey-lime dressing! It’s nothing more complicated than oil, vinegar, lime juice and zest and honey, but in my opinion the bit of juicy, sweetening balance it brings to the dish ties the whole thing together.
Oh, and lastly there are two more scrumptious halloumi recipes for you to try here on the blog – this one, a halloumi and sun-dried tomato salad and this one, halloumi tacos.
PrintGrilled Halloumi Skewers
Description
Ingredients
For the skewers & salad
- 4 wooden skewers, soaked in water for half an hour (so they don’t burn during cooking)
- 1 chorizo sausage (150 to 170 grams/5.3–6 ounces), peeled (if necessary) & cut into 1-inch or so chunks
- 16 cherry tomatoes
- 1 ‘log’ of halloumi (about 225 grams/8 ounces), cut into large(ish) cubes (at least 1.5 inches square)
- salad leaves of your choice
For the dressing
- 1 lime (juice & zest)
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon white wine or cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- salt/pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat up your broiler/grill.
- Thread the chorizo, tomatoes & halloumi chunks onto the skewers alternately (I began and ended with a tomato, but you don’t have to!).
- Lay the skewers on a grill/broiler pan (it’s best if you lay them on a metal grill over a pan so that the juices can drip through). Grill for about 10 minutes, turning regularly (and carefully!) until the halloumi is crisp and browned.
- Meanwhile, whisk all the dressing ingredients together and scatter a layer of salad leaves over a large platter or plate.
- When the skewers are done, carefully lay them over the salad leaves, then drizzle the dressing all over. Enjoy immediately with some nice fresh bread (if you like!).
Notes
‘Pinch’ the cheese quite tightly as you thread it onto the skewer. It’s a bit fragile at times, so this will help it to NOT fall apart as you thread it on the stick!
When you broil/grill the skewers, don’t worry if one or two bits of halloumi fall off. Just grill them to one side, then push them back onto the skewers when you serve them!
- Category: Appetizer
