Halloumi is a semi soft briny cheese with such a high melting point that you can literally grill it and it doesn’t melt. It’s a perfect protein to combine with vegetables for a meatless meal salad or side dish. Grilled Halloumi and Asparagus Salad can be made with any fresh seasonal vegetables and your choice of greens.
Asparagus season is so short but the possibilities are endless. If you’re running out of ideas, scroll to the link after the recipe for a free downloadable collection of recipes from Ontario Asparagus. Or, type asparagus into the search field on this site for more asparagus recipes.
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What is Halloumi?
Halloumi is said to have originated in Cyprus. It’s traditionally made from goat’s and sheep’s milk, so it may contain less lactose than other cheeses. Check the label though because now that it’s more readily available, it may be made with some cow’s milk which is cheaper and more plentiful. The best part about eating halloumi is that it squeaks when you bite it. So it’s kind of like a giant salty cheese curd. It’s usually sold in a package with brine and you may see bits of mint in there which is from a practice of storing the cheese wrapped in mint leaves to keep it fresh.
Cut the vegetables you’re going to grill into larger pieces. This prevents them from falling through the grill. It’s too complicated to grill bite sized pieces because they have to be watched carefully and turned quickly. Instead, this salad is intended to be eaten with a knife and fork. So choosing a crunchy variety of lettuce as your base is preferable.
Make up the dressing by combining all the ingredients and giving them a good shake in a jar. It’s very much like Greek dressing without the feta. Spoon a few tablespoons over the cut up veggies and toss them around. Let them sit and marinate at least half an hour before grilling. Just enough time to get plates out, rinse and tear up the greens and heat the barbecue. No need to marinate the cheese, it comes in its own marinade. You can also leave the veggies to marinate all day if you prefer.
Halloumi comes in a block but is often split or cut into 2 pieces. Slice each in half, either into a square or rectangle so you have 4 pieces, one for each salad. Pat the pieces dry and brush with some olive oil. This prevents the cheese from sticking to the hot grill.
How to grill vegetables
You want your barbecue to be nice and hot for grilling veggies. Lay asparagus in a line across the grills so you can use your tongs to roll them around in a group. No barbecue? No problem. A stove top grill will work too. You should turn on the overhead fan though, since you want a high heat to get those nice char marks there will be some smoke.
Place the sweet peppers skin side down and turn once they’ve got nice char marks and are starting to soften. Same for the onion and zucchini slices. Asparagus is best if it’s not grilled too long. Depending on the thickness of the spears, they may have to come off first. Add the cheese when the veggies are almost ready.
Plate your salad by arranging a large portion of lettuce on a big plate. Then top the salad with equal portions of grilled vegetables and halloumi. You can serve the grilled vegetables warm or room temperature but the halloumi is best right off the grill. Drizzle with the remaining dressing. You may have leftover dressing but it keeps for a few weeks in the fridge.
I love capers on this salad. Adding them at the end is optional but if you like the salty briny taste of capers like I do, trust me, you’ll love them on Grilled Halloumi and Asparagus Salad. You can enjoy this salad as a meatless meal, or, pair with some Chicken Souvlaki Skewers and maybe a loaf of Olive and Onion Bread.
If you try Grilled Halloumi and Asparagus Salad, consider leaving a comment or rating below. Here’s the recipe!
Grilled Halloumi and Asparagus Salad
Ingredients
- 8 cups mixed spring greens or torn romaine lettuce
- 16-20 asparagus spears, about 4-5 per person woody ends snapped off
- 1 sweet red pepper or other colours or combination
- 1 summer squash or small zucchini
- ½ red onion
- 1 package Halloumi cheese 200-250 g or about 8 oz
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 Tbsp capers optional but highly recommended
Dressing
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Slice sweet pepper into 8 thick strips . Cut onion into wide strips. Snap woody ends off asparagus. Slice zucchini on slight diagonal into ½ to ¾ inch thick slices.
- Prepare dressing by combining all ingredients and shaking well in a jar. Add about 2 tablespoons to vegetable mixture and toss to coat. Marinate for at least 30 minutes, up to several hours in advance.
- Drain brine from halloumi and slice into 4 pieces. Pat pieces dry and brush well with olive oil.
- Rinse lettuce and dry well. Arrange evenly between 4 plates. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Heat grill to medium-high. Arrange vegetables crosswise on barbecue grates and grill for approximately 3-4 minutes per side until charred and softening. Add halloumi when vegetables are almost ready and grill both sides.
- Top salad greens with warm grilled vegetables and halloumi. Drizzle remaining dressing over top. Garnish with capers.
This recipe looks awesome. Is the cheese hard to find? I agree with the capers!
I got my halloumi at Dover Cheese Shop but I hear you can get it at Farm Boy and I’m assuming other larger grocery stores would carry it.
This is such an awesome recipe! I have always loved asparagus, but now that I’ve discovered Halloumi, I’m a huge fan of both. ?
Thanks Marilyn! It’s sad to see the end of asparagus season but we can get Halloumi any time. Woo hoo!