Halloumi Blood Orange Fattoush (Printable version)

Crispy halloumi and blood oranges with sumac dressing

# What You'll Need:

→ Salad Base

01 - 7 oz halloumi cheese, sliced
02 - 2 blood oranges, peeled and sliced into rounds
03 - 7 oz mixed salad greens (romaine, arugula, parsley, mint)
04 - 1/2 cucumber, sliced
05 - 7 oz cherry tomatoes, halved
06 - 4 radishes, thinly sliced
07 - 1 small red onion, thinly sliced

→ Croutons

08 - 2 thick slices sourdough bread, cut into cubes
09 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
10 - pinch of sea salt

→ Dressing

11 - 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
12 - 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
13 - 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
14 - 1 teaspoon ground sumac
15 - 1 teaspoon pomegranate molasses
16 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
17 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

→ For Frying

18 - 1 tablespoon olive oil

# How to Make:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Toss sourdough cubes with 2 tablespoons olive oil and a pinch of sea salt. Spread on a baking sheet and bake 8 to 10 minutes until golden and crisp, turning once halfway through.
02 - In a small bowl, whisk together extra virgin olive oil, fresh lemon juice, red wine vinegar, ground sumac, pomegranate molasses, salt, and black pepper until emulsified. Set aside.
03 - Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add halloumi slices and fry 1 to 2 minutes per side until golden brown. Transfer to a plate.
04 - In a large salad bowl, combine mixed salad greens, sliced cucumber, halved cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced radish, and thinly sliced red onion.
05 - Add blood orange slices, warm halloumi, and toasted sourdough croutons to the salad bowl.
06 - Drizzle dressing over the salad and toss gently to combine all ingredients. Serve immediately while halloumi is still warm.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The warm halloumi creates this wonderful contrast with cool, juicy citrus that just works in a way nothing else quite does.
  • Everything comes together in under 30 minutes, which means you can pull off something that looks and tastes like you spent hours on it.
  • It's naturally vegetarian but feels substantial enough that nobody's missing meat at the table.
02 -
  • Don't dress the salad until you're ready to serve—I learned this the hard way when I prepped everything an hour early and ended up with soggy greens and soft croutons.
  • The halloumi must be added while it's still warm so the cheese stays creamy and slightly squeaky rather than firm and rubbery.
  • Taste your dressing before it touches the salad; if it's not balanced now, it won't magically become balanced once it coats everything.
03 -
  • Keep your croutons in a separate container until the very last moment; this single move changes the salad from soggy to perfect.
  • Slice your red onion as thin as humanly possible so it integrates into the salad rather than dominating it with aggressive onion flavor.
  • If you can't find pomegranate molasses, a pinch of brown sugar mixed with a tiny bit of balsamic vinegar creates a similar sweet-tart effect.
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