Fry

Halloumi and Grapefruit Salad

by:
May 18, 2015
4
4 Ratings
Halloumi and Grapefruit Salad
  • Serves 4
Author Notes

We've all seen halloumi as the vegetarian option at a burger stall, but I personally find it too salty to eat all by itself like that—it needs some friends to dissipate the salinity. That's why it works so well if you fry it to golden-brown, tear it into pieces, then pair it with a zingy dressing and crisp leaves. The bite-sized salty chunks effectively season the salad for you. When it's tossed with juicy chunks of grapefruit, tender herbs, and nubbly almonds, you'll get a salad worth your time. —Izy Hossack

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 1 grapefruit
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • generous pinch of salt
  • 1 teaspoon granulated sugar or honey
  • Vegetable oil
  • 3 ounces halloumi cheese, sliced into 1/4-inch thick pieces
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 3 cups mixed salad leaves
  • 1/3 cup raw, unsalted almonds, chopped
Directions
  1. Peel the grapefruit, as you would an orange. Pull the into two hemispheres with your fingers. Take one hemisphere and squeeze it over a bowl to get as much juice out as possible (we're using this for the dressing). Discard the pulp.
  2. With the other hemisphere, peel the papery skin off of each segment, then pop the inner flesh out. Tear into bite-sized chunks and set aside.
  3. In a skillet, heat the cumin seeds over a low heat while stirring, until fragrant (about 1 minute). Pour them into the bowl of grapefruit juice. Pour the cumin seeds and grapefruit juice into a jar along with the olive oil, salt, and sugar (or honey). Screw the lid on and shake to emulsify, then set aside.
  4. Brush the skillet lightly with some vegetable oil and place a few slices of halloumi into it. Fry over a medium heat until golden, then flip and cook on the other side. Remove to a plate lined with paper kitchen towel, then tear into smaller chunks.
  5. In a bowl, toss together the mint, cilantro, and mixed salad leaves. Shake the dressing again and pour half of if over the leaves and toss again. Scatter over the chunks of grapefruit, halloumi and chopped almonds. Drizzle with the rest of the dressing.
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  • robin lewis
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  • Reiko Rogozen
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  • Jane Katz
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  • Belle Année
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Izy Hossack
Passionate about cakes, roasted vegetables and anything involving Maldon salt or maple syrup. Izy is a student living in London, UK who spends her spare time blogging and rambling on topwithcinnamon.com

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5 Reviews

robin L.
robin L. September 5, 2022
This is a lovely salad. I did add a little sherry vinegar to the vinaigrette because my grapefruit didn't quite have enough zing. And I used smoked almonds bc that's what we had.
 
Reiko R.
Reiko R. August 6, 2015
This is really delicious. I don't think 1 grapefruit is enough though -- I usually end up peeling 3 grapefruits and using the fruit of 2.5 for the salad with the remaining half for the dressing. Also, I swap cumin seeds for 1 tsp ground cumin so I can really taste it throughout.
 
Jane K.
Jane K. June 1, 2015
Yum! I can't wait to try this Izy.
 
allekas
allekas May 31, 2015
My family - includes two food-adventurous and outspoken kids who will tell you what they like and don't like after they try it - ate this last night and loved it. Unique vinaigrette that paired well with the salty halloumi. This goes very well with greek lamb burgers. We made a meal of this salad and https://food52.com/recipes/3825-the-perseus-burger and they fit like shoes and socks.
 
Belle A.
Belle A. May 25, 2015
This looks fantastic! I love halloumi and like to grill it but I too am put off of the saltiness. Can't wait to try this. Thank you!