Pan Fried Halloumi with Lime Vinaigrette
Ok, here is my sales pitch — while I was cooking this my partner walked in the kitchen and said, ‘Something smells amazing!’ and then asked, ‘Are you frying cheese?’, Me: ‘Yes…’, ‘Are you frying cheese in butter??’, Me: ‘Yes!’
Here you will find not just cheese, not just pan-fried cheese, but cheese pan-fried in butter, topped with the zippiest dressing that balances it so well you don’t even feel the least bit guilty for eating cheese fried in butter.
I was just cooking for the two of us so I made a half recipe, but loved this vinaigrette so much I wish I had made the whole batch so I could drizzle it on everything. Lime, capers, mustard, garlic, yum! Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!
Share what you made for this year’s Saudi Arabia GP! And if you make this, let me know how it goes!
Pan Fried Halloumi with Lime Vinaigrette
Serves 4 to 6
2 limes, zest and juice (approximately 4 tablespoons juice)
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons capers, drained and chopped
3 cloves garlic, diced
2 tablespoons wholegrain mustard
2 tablespoons fresh coriander (cilantro), chopped
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
16oz (500g) halloumi (two - 8oz packages)
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
Sprigs of fresh coriander (cilantro) to garnish (optional)
Prepare the vinaigrette dressing by whisking the lime zest, lime juice, white wine vinegar, capers, garlic, mustard, coriander, and two tablespoons of olive oil in a small bowl (or do as I do and shake it all in a mason jar with a tight lid).
Pat the halloumi dry with a paper towel. Cut into one-centimeter-thick slices. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and the butter in a frying pan on medium heat.
Dust each slice of halloumi in the flour to coat on both sides. Place the slices in the pan and fry for two minutes on each side until golden.
Plate the halloumi and drizzle with a few tablespoons of the vinaigrette, serve the remaining vinaigrette at the table. Garnish with fresh coriander sprigs, and serve with a side salad and arab bread or pita.
**Half recipe pictured (one 8oz package of Halloumi).
“This recipe is from Hanan Sayed Worrell, author of Table Tales: The Global Nomad Cuisine of Abu Dhabi. The Table Tales concept celebrates the people and stories that give flavour to recipes of the Middle East.”
Radish Carrot Salad
This is one of those non-recipe recipes… but I hope it helps if you want to serve something bright and refreshing alongside the Pan-Fried Halloumi
Radishes, thinly sliced
Carrots, thinly sliced
Lemon juice or white wine vinegar
Olive oil
Salt
Cilantro, freshly torn or roughly chopped
Combine sliced radishes and carrots in a bowl, drizzle with lemon juice and olive oil, sprinkle with salt, toss in cilantro, and mix once more to combine. Add any additional salt or lemon juice as needed.
Any veggies are good in this kind of salad — fresh and simply dressed; cucumbers, baby greens, avocado would all be good.
