Halloumi cheese can be grilled or fried without losing its shape. It’s slightly salty, delicious and easy to cook! Make this recipe for grilled or fried halloumi cheese in less than five minutes. Enjoy it as an appetizer or as a hearty addition to salad. I am sure you’ll love halloumi cheese!
WHAT IS SPECIAL ABOUT HALLOUMI?
Halloumi is a special and impressive cheese because of its high melting point. It can be fried in a hot pan or cooked on a 400 degree grill without melting! It will get nice and brown when fried and develop grill marks when grilled. It’s somewhat soft, chewy, salty and incredibly delicious.
HOW TO GRILL HALLOUMI CHEESE
- Slice the cheese into slices about 1/3″ thick, blot them dry with paper towels to remove excess water then brush them with a little olive oil to prevent sticking.
- Put the slices on a hot grill until you see golden brown grill marks (1-3 minutes). Flip them and cook the other side for about a minute. That’s it!
HOW TO FRY HALLOUMI CHEESE
Some people like adding olive oil for added flavor and to ensure that it doesn’t stick to the pan. If you’re using a non stick pan, you don’t need olive oil unless you want the additional flavor.
My husband think halloumi is fatty enough on its own, so he doesn’t add oil. My husband’s cousin goes all out and fries halloumi in butter! I’ll have to try that sometime!
To fry halloumi:
- Slice the cheese into slices about 1/3″ thick, blot them dry with paper towels to remove excess water. If using a nonstick pan, then add a touch of olive oil only if desired for flavor. If you’re not using a nonstick pan, it’s a good idea to use at least a little olive oil to prevent sticking. Heat your pan over medium heat.
- Add the halloumi slices and fry for about 1-3 minutes on the first side or until it starts to get golden brown. Flip the slices and fry for an additional 1-2 minutes on the other side.
HOW TO EAT HALLOUMI CHEESE
- Grill or fried for a few minutes on each side and eat it as is! This is my favorite way of eating it!
- Serve it on top of a salad or simply along with sliced tomatoes with a balsamic vinaigrette. It’s also delicious served with shakshuka or a simple salad.
- Enjoy it in a wrap with tomatoes, olives and a drizzle of olive oil.
- Add it to your favorite bread and make a panini or grilled cheese!
- Enjoy it with some watermelon and mint! Can’t wait to try it this way this summer!
- A nice addition to halloumi is black sesame seeds. Sprinkle some on top of the hot slices right before serving. They are nutritious but serve mostly as decoration since it’s gives a pretty contrast of white and black.
Halloumi is best enjoyed as soon as it’s been fried or grilled. It can be refrigerated, but does not reheat well.
WHERE TO BUY HALLOUMI
Halloumi is increasingly making its way into cheese counters in North American grocery stores! I don’t always find it, but it’s worth looking for.
Since it’s common in Middle Eastern cuisine, you can almost always find it in Middle Eastern stores.
HALLOUMI CHEESE POEM
My love for halloumi cheese actually inspired me to write a poem about it! I know-so nerdy but once I started my Instagram food page, I felt like I could finally let out my inner food nerd! Maybe after trying halloumi, you’ll write a poem about it too.
Halloumi Cheese
As an app or as a side,
at breakfast, lunch, or dinner
Have it grilled or have it fried,
it really is a winner!
I hope you enjoy the poem AND halloumi cheese recipe. I also hope you enjoy some halloumi for breakfast, a snack or your next barbeque. Make it and you’ll see it’s pretty much awesome any time of the day or year!
Grilled and Fried Halloumi Cheese Recipe
Ingredients
- halloumi cheese sliced into 1/3″ slices and blotted dry (quantity of cheese depends on number of people and number of slices per person)
Instructions
FOR GRILLING:
- Slice the halloumi into 1/3″ slices and blot dry.
- Heat your grill to 400 F.
- Brush the slices with a little olive oil and arrange them on the hot grill, making sure the slices are not touching.
- Grill for 1-3 minutes on the first side (until you see golden brown grill marks).
- Flip and grill another 1-2 minutes.
- Remove from the grill and serve right when they come off the grill.
FOR FRYING:
- Heat a nonstick pan over medium heat.
- Slice the halloumi into 1/3″ slices and blot dry.
- Add a little olive oil to your pan (optional) and arrange the slices in the pan making sure the slices aren’t touching.
- Fry for about 1-3 minutes on the first side or until it starts to get golden brown. Flip the slices and fry for an additional 1-2 minutes on the other side.
- Enjoy immediately!
Notes
Please note that nutritional values are created by an online calculator and should only be used as an estimate.
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