Golden Halloumi with Honey and Thyme

September 15, 2024

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By:Nagi

Printed:6 Sep ’24Up to date:8 Sep ’24

Right here’s an unbelievably scrumptious 5 minute halloumi recipe: pan fried golden, drizzled with honey and sprinkled with thyme. It’s a stellar mixture of flavours – salty, candy and earthy herb. Nice starter, snack, or make a fundamental salad a lot extra attention-grabbing!

Fried halloumi

It’s not possible to withstand devouring golden fried halloumi straight from the pan, when it’s crispy on the floor and gooey inside. And why ought to we? It’s so nice plain!

However someday, strive it with a drizzle of honey, sprinkle of recent thyme and pinch of pink pepper flakes. It’s Outrageously Scrumptious (caps intentional) and an amazing 2-second-way to decorate up halloumi once you’ve obtained firm.

Serve with heat pita bread, olives, and good olive oil for a easy but totally pleasing starter!

The golden guidelines of halloumi cooking

It simply so occurs that whereas I’m scripting this submit, I’m at my hairdresser, Deange Hair which is owned by Greek sisters. So I’m sitting right here with my head filled with goop, having an enthusiastic dialogue with Angela, the youthful sister, in regards to the golden guidelines of cooking halloumi. Right here’s what you want to know!

Actual Halloumi from Cyprus: For the most effective outcomes, use genuine Cypriot halloumi. Decrease high quality or imitation varieties gained’t offer you that excellent golden crust and will crumble when cooked!
Minimize it Thick: Slice your halloumi 1 – 1.25cm / 0.4 – 0.5″ thick. Thicker than you assume! It shrinks about 30% throughout cooking, so thicker slices guarantee a comfortable, juicy inside reasonably than a dry one.
Use Oil: Don’t skimp on the oil! Halloumi wants it to attain a golden, crispy exterior. With out oil, it’s going to simply burn, brown inconsistently and positively gained’t get crisp.
Pat the Slices Dry: Dry the slices totally earlier than cooking. This step prevents the scorching and spitting of water on preliminary contact, resulting in a greater crust.

Angela’s recommendation is spot on, and I used to be grateful that I checked all her containers. Now halloumi lovers all over the place can prepare dinner it completely too! Who knew a hair appointment may double as a cheese tutorial!? 🧀✨

(I do know what you’re pondering, and NO you aren’t going to get a photograph of me with goop in my hair!!)

What you want

For the crispy golden pan fried halloumi

Simply halloumi and olive oil for cooking!

Halloumi – The model you get issues! Actual halloumi is from the Mediterranean island of Cyprus, not Greece. It’s going to fry up golden on the floor and be comfortable on the within. Economical manufacturers will be rubbery on the within (even when scorching), or be so bloated with brine they appear to endlessly leech water as they prepare dinner and *by no means* go golden, whereas others are simply oddly dry and crumbly.

Search for halloumi with “PDO” on the packet label (Protected Designation of Origin). It is a mark of excellence that proves a merchandise’ high quality and can’t be used on any product made outdoors of Cyprus. I get Alambra and Dodoni manufacturers.

Olive oil – Although some recipes don’t use oil to prepare dinner halloumi, you actually do want a contact of oil to get a pleasant golden crust on the halloumi. With out, you simply get patchy brown components, and when you attempt to take it additional it simply burns and doesn’t go crispy. So, if you would like a very nice golden crispy halloumi, don’t skip the oil!

I like to make use of olive oil as a result of it has extra flavour than unflavoured oils like canola oil and so on. Whereas you should use additional virgin olive oil right here as a result of we’re not high-temp cooking, don’t use your good things. Save that for salads and ending dishes!

For the HONEY THYME end (OPTIONAL)

Honey – Or maple syrup, although I personally assume that the flavour of honey pairs higher. It’s additionally thicker so clings higher.
Contemporary thyme leaves – It’s simply such an amazing earthy flavour that works so nicely with the salty-sweet mixture occurring right here! I wouldn’t substitute with dried thyme, it’s simply not the identical. However, hand on coronary heart, that is nonetheless price making with simply honey!
Chilli flakes (pink pepper flakes) – That is elective, so as to add the tiniest delicate trace of heat to this dish and likewise add some pretty pink flecks. For me, it’s simply an easy manner so as to add an additional contact to this dish, however as I discussed, it’s 100% elective!

Different sprinkling / drizzling choices I’ve used and loved through the years:

recent oregano (roughly chopped)
walnuts (walnuts + honey is such an amazing, Greek-vibes combo)
different nuts (almonds and pistachios come to thoughts)
white sesame seeds
lemon juice or lemon zest
swish of additional virgin olive oil

Learn how to make golden pan-fried Halloumi

Good and easy, however please pay attention to how thick to chop the slices and patting them dry earlier than cooking!

Minimize the halloumi into 1 – 1.25 cm / 0.4 – 0.5″ thick slices. Any thinner, and also you’ll find yourself with halloumi chips. ✨This is likely one of the Golden Guidelines of Halloumi cooking! (See high of submit)✨

I get 7 to eight slices out of a regular 225 – 250g/8 oz block.
Dry – Lay the slices out on paper towels then pat the floor dry as nicely. Don’t press down laborious, we simply wish to blot extra moisture off the floor.

Cook dinner – Warmth the oil over medium-high warmth in a non stick pan. Place the halloumi within the pan fastidiously – it’s going to splutter! I exploit my arms so I can deal with the items fastidiously. Cook dinner for 1 1/2 minutes or till the underside is golden. Initially, they may leech water (the brine contained in the cheese) then as soon as the water evaporates that’s when the underside will begin to get color.

When to show – Whenever you see the sides of the underside change into golden, that’s an excellent signal that the entire underside is golden.
Rigorously flip (I exploit a spatula and a butter knife) then prepare dinner the opposite facet for round 1 to 1 1/2 minutes till golden.

⚠️ Don’t attempt to prepare dinner too many slices within the pan on the similar time, else they may braise and by no means go golden!
⚠️ Transfer the slices round if wanted in order that they prepare dinner evenly, however the extra you possibly can depart them undistributed, the extra even the golden floor.

Switch instantly onto the serving plate. You may serve it identical to that (which is unquestionably the most typical manner I eat halloumi!) or end it with the honey and thyme.
End – Working shortly (so you may get it to the desk whereas the centres are nonetheless heat and comfortable!), drizzle with honey, sprinkle with thyme and chilli flakes, then serve it asap!

How I eat fried halloumi

So as of frequency:

With arms, straight off the plate, as a starter. That is in all probability the most typical manner I serve it (with and with out the honey). I prepare dinner it up when I’ve a number of spare minutes then cross it round. I actually attempt to minimise cooking time when buddies are round however this can be a nice one to do as a result of it’s so fast!
As a part of a cheese board unfold. It’s all the time the primary to go (often as a result of I put it down and flap my arms round insisting that everybody eat up, eat up, whereas it’s scorching!) 😂
On a salad. Take a bowl of plain leafy greens and plonk a number of fried halloumi’s on high and woah! All of a sudden that boring salad is a lot extra thrilling – and passes as a meal, at that! Or, particularly, strive including halloumi onto considered one of these salads to dial them up a notch (skip or cut back any pre-existing cheese in these recipes):

Simply to flag a number of stand-outs: I feel the Pear Salad can be spectacular with halloumi as an alternative of blue cheese (fruit + salty cheese + honey + nuts = 💯) as would the French Heat Goats Cheese Salad (made with halloumi as an alternative of goats cheese) and the Pearl Couscous Salad (I really feel like halloumi + shiny lemon dressing + slippery garlicky pearl couscous can be a house run).

Or – simply skip the greenery and persist with my #1 technique of consuming it: with arms, standing within the kitchen! 😂 – Nagi x