Golden Halloumi with Honey and Thyme

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 unattainable 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 in the future, strive it with a drizzle of honey, sprinkle of recent thyme and pinch of crimson pepper flakes. It’s Outrageously Scrumptious (caps intentional) and an important 2-second-way to decorate up halloumi whenever you’ve received firm.

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

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 mushy on the within. Economical manufacturers may be rubbery on the within (even when sizzling), 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 exterior 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 elements, and should you attempt to take it additional it simply burns and doesn’t go crispy. So, if you need 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 need to 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.

• Recent thyme leaves – It’s simply such an important 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 (crimson pepper flakes) – That is elective, so as to add the tiniest refined trace of heat to this dish and likewise add some beautiful crimson flecks. For me, it’s simply a simple method 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 over time:

• recent oregano (roughly chopped)

• walnuts (walnuts + honey is such an important, 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

The right way to make golden pan-fried Halloumi

Good and simple, however please be aware of how thick to chop the slices and patting them dry earlier than cooking!

1. 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 without doubt one of the Golden Guidelines of Halloumi cooking! (See prime of put up)✨

   I get 7 to eight slices out of an ordinary 225 – 250g/8 oz block.

2. Dry – Lay the slices out on paper towels then pat the floor dry as nicely. Don’t press down exhausting, we simply need to blot extra moisture off the floor.

3. Cook dinner – Warmth the oil over medium-high warmth in a non stick pan. Place the halloumi within the pan rigorously – it should splutter! I take advantage of my fingers to I can deal with the items rigorously. Cook dinner for 1 1/2 minutes or till the underside is golden. Initially, they’ll leech water (the brine contained in the cheese) then ones the water evaporates that’s when the underside will begin to get color.

   When to show – Whenever you see the perimeters of the underside grow to be golden, that’s a very good signal that the entire underside the golden.

4. Fastidiously flip (I take advantage of 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’ll braise and by no means go golden!
   ⚠️ Transfer the slices round if wanted so that they prepare dinner evenly, however the extra you’ll be able to go away them undistributed, the extra even the golden floor.

5. Switch instantly onto the serving plate. You may serve it similar to that (which is unquestionably the most typical method I eat halloumi!) or end it with the honey and thyme.

6. End – Working shortly (so you may get it to the desk whereas the centres are nonetheless heat and mushy!), drizzle with honey, sprinkle with thyme and chilli flakes, then serve it asap!

How I eat fried halloumi

So as of frequency:

1. With fingers, straight off the plate, as a starter. That is in all probability the most typical method 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 associates are round however it is a nice one to do as a result of it’s so fast!

2. As a part of a cheese board unfold. It’s at all times the primary to go (often as a result of I put it down and flap my fingers round insisting that everybody eat up, eat up, whereas it’s sizzling!) 😂

3. On a salad. Take a bowl of plain leafy greens and plonk a number of fried halloumi’s on prime and woah! Instantly 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 believe the Pear Salad wold 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 + vibrant lemon dressing + slippery garlicky pearl couscous could be a house run).

Or – simply skip the greenery and follow my #1 methodology of consuming it: with fingers, standing within the kitchen! 😂 – Nagi x

Watch find out how to make it

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Golden Halloumi with Honey and Thyme

Writer: Nagi

Prep: 3 minutes minutes

Cook dinner: 3 minutes minutes

Appetiser, Snack, Starters

Greek, Western

Servings1 Nagi

Faucet or hover to scale

Recipe video above. It is unattainable to withstand devouring golden fried halloumi straight from the pan, when it is crispy on the floor and gooey inside. And why ought to we? It is so nice plain! However in the future, strive it with a drizzle of honey and sprinkle of thyme. It’s Outrageously Scrumptious (caps intentional) and a 2-second-way to decorate up halloumi whenever you’ve received firm.Serve with heat pita bread, olives, and a very good olive oil for a easy but completely pleasing starter.Tip: Deal with the slices rigorously so that they maintain collectively (there’s a partial crack in the midst of halloumi blocks).

Directions

Abbreviated recipe:

• Minimize into 1 – 1.25cm / 0.4 – 0.5″ slices, pat dry. Pan fry within the oil on medium excessive till golden, serve on pre-warmed plate, with elective finishes.

Full recipe:

• Minimize halloumi into 1-1.25 cm thick slices (0.4 – 0.5″) (see Be aware 3). Place the slices on a paper towel and pat the floor dry.

• Heat a serving plate. (Be aware 4)

• Warmth the oil in a non stick pan over medium excessive warmth.

• Fry – Fastidiously place the halloumi within the pan (I take advantage of my fingers). Cook dinner for 1 1/2 minutes or till the underside is golden. Shuffle if wanted so that they prepare dinner evenly.

• Flip gently (I take advantage of a spatula + butter knife to information) and prepare dinner the opposite facet for 1 – 1/2 minutes till golden.

• Switch onto the serving plate.

• Elective finishes – Working shortly, drizzle with honey, sprinkle with thyme and chilli flakes. I do full honey protection for some slices, and for others only a drizzle.

• Serve instantly, fast, earlier than the halloumi goes squeaky! 🙂 (Be aware: Honey on the plate is right for bread mopping)

Recipe Notes:

1. Halloumi – Not all halloumi is made equal! Genuine halloumi is made in Cyprus (not Greece) and the higher manufacturers will probably be labelled PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) which is a stamp of authentication. Pretty extensively obtainable as of late in Australian grocery shops, bought in packets with a little bit of watery brine inside.
2. Dried thyme simply isn’t the identical right here so I don’t suggest substituting with that. As a substitute, I’d use white sesame seeds or roughly chopped toasted walnuts, or simply honey and chilli flakes.
3. Chopping route – Minimize the quick fringe of the block (see photographs in put up) so you’re reducing perpendicular by way of the often invisible crack in the midst of the halloumi and each bit will maintain collectively. In the event you reduce alongside the lengthy edge, the items will cut up in two. Not the top of the world, but it surely’s good to have bigger items (higher mushy centres) whereas lengthy skinny items fry up extra crispy throughout.
4. Plate warming – retains halloumi heat for slightly longer. I do 30 seconds within the microwave on excessive.
Leftovers will hold for 3 – 4 days within the fridge, although it will get exhausting. I nonetheless eat it! 🙂 It does soften when reheated but it surely’s not the identical as freshly cooked.
Diet per serving, assuming 3 servings.

Diet Data:

Energy: 311cal (16%)Carbohydrates: 9g (3%)Protein: 17g (34%)Fats: 23g (35%)Saturated Fats: 13g (81%)Polyunsaturated Fats: 1gMonounsaturated Fats: 8gSodium: 909mg (40%)Potassium: 7mgFiber: 0.1gSugar: 9g (10%)Vitamin A: 20IUVitamin C: 0.1mgCalcium: 757mg (76%)Iron: 0.1mg (1%)

Key phrases: fried halloumi, halloumi recipe

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