Halloumi is also great baked – add slices to an ovenproof dish and drizzle with olive oil and herbs or spices. It'll need about 10-15 minutes in a 200C/fan 180C/gas 6 oven. The halloumi soaks up the flavours whilst baking so it's an easy way to add extra welly to your dishes.
Baked halloumi
Pre-heat your oven 200°C (180ºC fan). Cut your halloumi into 5mm-1cm thick slices, then lay them in a single layer in an ovenproof dish. Drizzle with a little olive oil, then place in the oven for 10-15 minutes; turning halfway through.
You can pop sliced halloumi in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes. At 20 minutes you'll get a softer, more melty halloumi.
Preheat a skillet on medium heat. If you're using non-stick, there's no need to add oil to the pan, but if not, add a dash of olive oil. Add halloumi slices to the skillet and cook for 1-2 minutes until golden brown, then flip and cook the other side for another 1-2mins.
You can definitely eat halloumi raw. However, you don't often see uncooked halloumi served in a meal. It's definitely tastier when it's been cooked, as it's just irresistible when it's warm and squidgy - not to mention, you get those lovely crispy bits around the edges.
Relax, we can verify that yes, halloumi is okay to eat uncooked.
Soak the halloumi in water for 30 minutes or up to 24 hours to remove the salty taste. I love the salty taste of halloumi, so I prefer not to soak it. However, if you find the kind you have to be too salty, the soak will help alleviate that. Allow the halloumi cheese to grill without touching it.
The dry curds come together when they're heated at up to 90°C in purified whey, then the resulting cheese is sprinkled liberally with salt. The heating step is the secret to halloumi's heat resistance, causing protein networks to retract and strengthen.
You may be thinking this sounds messy, but Halloumi is a cheese that won't melt so it retains its texture and shape. If heated, the surface caramelizes slightly and the inside softens. The flavor is incredible, especially when still warm, and it's a really cool cheese to grill.
Since halloumi doesn't melt when it's cooked, it's absolutely perfect for pan-frying, grilling, BBQing, baking and even air frying. It's so versatile! You can make delicious appetizers, burgers, kebabs, salads and more with it.
Simply patting the haloumi dry with paper towel will remove some of the saltiness, but you can also place it in a bowl of cold water to remove more of the salt, if you prefer. Just soak for 5 minutes, then pat dry with paper towel – patting dry is important to ensure the lovely golden crispy edges!
The halloumi will heat up very quickly in the microwave, so you need to keep an eye on it. Start with just 10 seconds, and then check every five seconds after that. Once cooked, it will need to be eaten straight away.
'Halloumi is high in protein (to help you maintain and grow your lean muscle mass), contains calcium (for healthy bones and teeth), phosphorus (for bone health), zinc (for cognitive, immune and fertility functions), iodine (for thyroid and cognitive function) and vitamin A (to support your immunity, vision and skin),' ...
Plenty of fresh veggies, halloumi cheese and fresh herbs are chopped up and tossed together in a large bowl with some olive oil. The mixture is then divided and sealed up tightly in two large foil packets, before being placed directly on a heated grill. Once on the grill, there is nothing more to do.
While you can eat Halloumi raw, it's usually enjoyed cooked—not just because you can, but also because cooking improves the taste and texture. Some of the saltiness (from brining) fades as it cooks. And the texture, which starts out a bit like mozzarella, becomes a bit creamier with cooking.
Put the halloumi into a bowl and boil a kettle of water. Pour the boiling water over the halloumi and leave for 20 minutes. This will make the cheese really soft and smooth in the centre when cooked.
Brands vary, but feta is usually the winner. Haloumi tends to have more calories and a higher fat content. Plus, it usually has more salt. Haloumi makes a good cooking cheese thanks to its high melting point.
Why Halloumi Doesn't Melt. During the second heating, halloumi is cooked in its own whey and brought to a temperature past the curd's melting point, 135 degrees.
Once opened it's suggested that you consume it within 3 days. However, it will usually last longer than that. Most often, up to 5 days, especially if grilled and covered in a drizzle of olive oil. But, if your halloumi has gone bad it will smell like sour milk and have a slimy texture on the outside.
The same protein clumps created by the acid in Paneer and the rennet in Halloumi are what give these cheeses their signature squeak. The sound is coming from the long protein strands rubbing against the enamel of your teeth.
The chemistry gets more complicated here, but in simplified terms, the milk proteins become rigid so the cheese lacks stretch. After draining the whey, the fresh slabs of halloumi are sprinkled with salt and dried mint, then folded in half and placed in brine. That's why halloumi slices can look as if they have split.
This means that halloumi should be consumed in moderation, and it really doesn't need any added salt when preparing it. Because of its higher salt content, it's best to enjoy one to two slices of halloumi about once a week or less.
While not necessarily a healthy superfood, halloumi cheese is high in protein and calcium. However, halloumi is quite high in sodium, so it's important to eat it in moderation.
Nutritionally haloumi cheese contains slightly less fat (26 per cent) than regular cheddar cheese but more than double the sodium content thanks to the brine used to preserve it. Haloumi is delicious, and as such one of the biggest issues it poses is the risk of overeating.