I’m going to keep this short this week because . . . I have a visitor! I’m in Ohio right now and CARLA came to visit! We’re super busy brainstorming and crafting and cooking up the next few months of A&C. But while I have her captive attention, I wanted to share one of my absolute favorite quick and easy snacks: fried halloumi cheese. We’re both avid cheese lovers, (in fact, it’s one of the reasons we became such good friends) so we made quick work of this dish between the two of us. We’re still friends, but there were some words over the last piece.
Halloumi is a salty white cheese that originated in Greece. It’s special because it holds its shape when you heat it, which means it’s perfect for grilling or frying. This recipe creates a kind of crisp crust on the outside while the insides are silky but firm. Add a squeeze of lemon for brightness, a drizzle of olive oil for richness, and a dash of red pepper flakes for the tiniest touch of heat.
Fried halloumi cheese is so fast and easy to make that this recipe is the perfect snack for unexpected holiday visitors or a quick appetizer for a dinner party. Just keep a block of the cheese in your refrigerator (it has a rather lengthy shelf life) and whip this up whenever someone comes over.
- A block of Halloumi cheese, cut into 1 inch cubes
- A few tablespoons of high-quality, fresh extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 lemon
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
- Heat about a tablespoon of olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until oil shimmers.
- Pat the cubes dry, otherwise they will spit hot oil at you when you add them to the skillet!
- Add the halloumi cubes. Fry until 1 side is golden brown, about 2 minutes. Use tongs to flip the cubes onto another side, and cook until golden brown. Continue flipping and cooking until 3 or 4 sides are cooked.
- Remove halloumi from pan and put into a serving dish. Drizzle the cooking oil over the cheese, adding more fresh olive oil if desired. Squeeze the lemon over the cheese and sprinkle with red pepper flakes.
- Serve with toothpicks and enjoy!
- Halloumi is pretty salty, so 4 or 5 cubes is about all that one person can handle.
