There are certain restaurant dishes that completely take over your ordering habits, and for me, warm halloumi salad is one of them. The second I see it on a menu at an Israeli restaurant, I’m ordering it.
Over the years, I’ve had so many different versions — piled into crispy edible baskets, layered over greens, topped with sautéed vegetables, sometimes sweeter, sometimes saltier — but they all had the same irresistible combination of textures and flavors: warm salty cheese, savory vegetables, fresh greens, and that glossy teriyaki-style sauce that pulls everything together.
This version is inspired by all of those salads I couldn’t stop thinking about afterward. Peppery arugula gets topped with sautéed red peppers, onions, and mushrooms, then finished with sesame-crusted halloumi that’s crisp on the outside and soft and chewy in the center. And then comes the sauce. Sweet, savory, sticky, and deeply umami, it coats the warm vegetables and halloumi in the best possible way.
I especially love serving it for Shavuot because it feels festive without trying too hard. Halloumi always gives a dish a little drama, and paired with the warm vegetables and teriyaki flavors, it totally steals the show.
Hearty, comforting, salty, fresh, and honestly craveable enough to build an entire meal around – the perfect holiday centerpiece!
Halloumi Salad
10oz. halloumi (may also use feta or fresh mozzarella)
1/2 cup flour
salt and pepper to taste
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups sesame seeds
canola oil, for frying
1 red pepper, cut into strips
1 red onion, cut into strips
16oz. mushrooms sliced
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup silan
1 clove garlic, grated on a micrplane
2 tbsp harissa
1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
1/3 cup water
1 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 2 tbsp water
5 oz. arugula
Method:
First, fry the halloumi: cut the halloumi into cubes. In a large Ziploc bag, mix flour with salt and pepper, add halloumi and shake to coat. In a shallow bowl, beat eggs with salt and pepper, stir the halloumi in the eggs to fully coat. Add the sesame seeds to a large Ziploc bag and add halloumi, shaking off the excess eggs as you add to the bag, shake to coat.
Heat canola oil in a skillet and add the halloumi, fry until golden brown on both sides, drain on paper towels and sprinkle with salt.
In a bowl or glass measuring cup, add the soy sauce, silan, garlic, harissa, orange juice, water and cornstarch, whisk to combine.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet, add the onions, peppers and mushrooms and saute until softened and starting to caramelize around the edges. Add the sauce and stir until the sauce thickened and vegetables are glazed.
Spread arugula out on a platter, top with halloumi and the sauteed vegetables, taking care to coat the halloumi cubes in the sauce.
Serve warm.
NOTES:
For a shortcut, you can use store-bought teriyaki sauce instead of making the sauce.
Since this salad is served warm with fried halloumi, it’s best to prepare the day of serving, but if you’d like to prepare in advance, you can prepare the sauteed vegetables ahead of time and warm them before serving. You can grill or saute the halloumi without breading and add it to the sauteed mixture (breading will get soggy if made in advance).
Related Recipes:
halloumi fries
halloumi cheese waffles
camemebert en croute salad
Greek salad with feta croutons
pizza salad with cheese croutons