Griddled halloumi with watermelon & caper breadcrumbs
Prep
30 mins
Cook
15 mins
Servings
4
Difficulty
Medium
This is one of those magical dishes that comes together in under an hour and never fails to impress. The contrast between creamy, golden griddled halloumi and juicy, refreshing watermelon might sound unusual, but trust me, it works beautifully. Watermelon is packed with lycopene, a powerful antioxidant that's great for your heart, and when you pair it with crispy caper breadcrumbs and fresh mint, you get something truly special. What I love most is how simple it is to pull together, especially when you've got slightly stale bread lurking in your kitchen that finally gets its moment to shine.
Ella x
Ingredients
- 750 gwatermelon
- 2 smallshallots very finely sliced
- 100 mlextra virgin olive oil plus extra for brushing and to serve
- 4 tspwhite balsamic vinegar
- 300 ghalloumi sliced
- 1good squeeze of lemon juice
- 75 gslightly stale country bread crusts removed(blitzed into coarse breadcrumbs)
- 11-2 cloves garlic finely chopped
- ½ mediumred chilli halved(deseeded and chopped)
- 2 tbspcapers rinsed
- 50 gblanched almonds toasted and chopped
- 1 smallbunch of mint leaves picked(half of them torn)
Detail level
Instructions
- 1
Cut the watermelon into either cubes or slices and transfer to a bowl with the shallots. Add 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil and the balsamic, then season with fresh black pepper. Cover and put in the fridge for about 15-20 mins.
- 2
Heat the remaining oil in a frying pan. Fry the breadcrumbs until turning gold. Add the garlic, chilli and capers and cook for another minute, then toss in the almonds. Remove from the heat, add the torn mint (it will wilt a little), then taste – it will be quite salty, but the watermelon won’t be, so you’ll get a good contrast.
- 3
Brush the halloumi with a little oil and heat a griddle pan. Griddle the cheese on both sides until just starting to melt but still holding its shape, with nice golden griddle marks. Toss the cold watermelon and shallots with the rest of the mint leaves and some salt. Divide between four plates, or pile onto a platter. Put the hot halloumi on top. Squeeze over some lemon juice and top with some of the breadcrumb and caper mix. Serve immediately.
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