Halloumi is truly one of my all time favourite things…. When I considered going vegan, I’m pretty sure it was halloumi I thought of first, I would find it hard to give it up forever! I think one of the best ways to eat halloumi is simply pan fried or grilled with a squeeze of fresh lemon, but this zesty pesto recipe is a great way to mix it up and the flavours go so well with the salty halloumi.
You can also of course use saganaki cheese for this, one my all-time-other-favourite friable cheeses, and Greek ingredients. Halloumi as, I understand it, is just the Cypriot cousin of Saganaki anyway. Saganaki usually uses graviera, kefalograviera, kefalotyri greek cheeses as they are suitable for frying.
Aside from this recipe, I also love to serve halloumi with something sweet. For example, grilled halloumi with fig jam is a great combination. Use my fig jam recipe and simply mix 1 tbsp of the jam with 1 teaspoon of balsamic vinegar and gently warm it on the stove until combined. Serve it drizzled over panfried halloumi (pictured below!)
I try and buy and consume organic dairy as much as I can, so with halloumi being the hero here, do your best to get some good quality cheese people!
A quick note on the chilli, you can omit it if you don’t like spicy food, but if you do use it just make sure to taste a tiny bit before throwing it all in to check how spicy your chilli is!
- Juice & zest of 1 lime
- 1 tbsp capers
- 1 garlic clove (finely grated)
- 1 chilli (finely sliced`)
- 1 tbsp chopped coriander
- 1 tbsp Extra-virgin olive oil
- Salt & pepper
- 200g halloumi cheese
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To make the pesto, combine all the ingredients (except the halloumi and lime juice) in a pestle & mortar, food processor or small blender and blend/mix until smooth.
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Slice the halloumi into 1/2cm pieces. Heat a non-stick pan to medium heat and pan fry the halloumi pieces on both sides until golden brown. Serve immediately with fresh lime juice and the pesto drizzled over the top.
