Pan-Fried Halloumi Cheese with Lime and Caper Vinaigrette

This is a quick appetizer or starter (or if you are me--a light dinner), from "Delia's Summer Collection" from Delia Smith. This Pan-Fried Halloumi Cheese with Lime and Caper Vinaigrette is the third recipe I have cooked and enjoyed from this book I that I bought for $1 at this year's library sale--quite a bargain I would say. It's still summer here in Hawaii ;-) and this dish would actually be appropriate all year round, although I will probably break out "Delia's Winter Collection," also purchased for $1, soon.

I love the salty chewiness of halloumi cheese and try to have some in my cheese drawer often. Pairing the halloumi with lime, cilantro and my beloved briny capers in a simple vinaigrette seemed like a great combination of flavor and texture.

Delia says,"This is a great recipe to have up your sleeve for the unexpected vegetarian. Greek halloumi arrives in sealed plastic wrapping and has a reasonably long shelf-life, which means that you can always have a pack tucked away in the refrigerator. If you can get some Greek olive oil for the dressing and eat this outside in the sunshine, the scent and flavours will transport you to the Aegean in moments."

Pan-Fried Halloumi Cheese with Lime and Caper Sauce

"Delia's Summer Collection" by Delia Smith

(Serves 2 as a light lunch or 4 as a starter)

1 halloumi cheese

2 Tbsp well-seasoned flour

2 Tbsp olive oil

For the Dressing:

juice and zest of 1 lime

1 Tbsp white wine vinegar

1 heaped Tbsp capers, drained

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1 heaped tsp grain mustard

1 heaped Tbsp chopped fresh coriander leaves

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

salt and freshly milled black pepper

To Garnish:

a few sprigs of coriander

First of all unwrap the cheese and pat it dry with kitchen paper. Then, using a sharp knife, slice it into eight slices, including the ends. Now prepare the dressing by simply whisking all the ingredients together in a small mixing bowl.

When you're ready to serve the halloumi, heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. When the oil is really hot, press each slice of cheese into seasoned flour to coat it on both sides, then add them to the hot pan as they are done--they take 1 minute on each side to cook, so by the time the last one's in it will almost be time to turn the first one over. They need to be a good golden color on each side.

Serve them straight away on warmed plates with the dressing poured over. This is good served with lightly toasted pitta bread or Greek bread with toasted sesame seeds.


Notes/Results: Delicious, flavorful and very quick and easy to put together, this is a keeper dish. One thing to consider is not getting it too salty--watch the amount of salt you put in the dressing as you have both the capers and salty cheese. Also, for the "well-seasoned" flour called for in the recipe, I seasoned it with black pepper, dried oregano, dried mint and a few red pepper flakes and left out the salt. This ended up being perfect--more would have been too salty. I ate this dish with a side salad and some pita bread. Get it to the table quickly before the halloumi gets cold and rubbery--I just took time to snap a couple of quick pictures before tucking into it.

Enjoy!