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Halloumi, Orange and Kalamata Salad

The first time I had warm olives was a revelatory moment. Many years ago, I was at a beautiful cafe in Margaret River which was the home of both McHenry Hohnen wines and The Farm House artisan meats. Amongst all the other delicious treats which I ordered that day, I had chosen the olives. I was not expecting a bowl of warm olives, marinated in herbs and orange zest. That combination of olives and orange stuck in my mind and over ten years later, was the inspiration for this delicious warm salad. The salty halloumi flirts deliciously with the sweetness of the orange and the sharp fruitiness of the Kalamata olives. This dish is super easy and brimming with flavour.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 8 minutes
Course Entree
Cuisine Salad
Servings 4 people

Ingredients
  

  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 orange
  • 1/2 of a Lemon, juiced
  • 250 g Halloumi
  • 50 g Kalamata Olives, pitted
  • 1 Large handful of celery leaves, roughly chopped
  • 1 Small handful of parsley, finely chopped

Instructions
 

  • Measure 3 Tbsp of Olive oil into a medium bowl, grate the zest of one orange over the olive oil. Add 1 Tbsp of lemon juice.
  • Cut your halloumi into 7mm slices.
  • Slice your Kalamata olives in half lengthways.
  • Slice the top and bottom off of your orange. Stand it on the flat bottom and follow the natural curve of the orange to cut off the rind, keep doing this all the way round until your orange is naked and you can’t see excess white pith. Turn it onto its round side and cut slices of about 7mm thickness. Slice these in half so you have half moon shapes.
  • Wash and finely chop your parsley.
  • Wash and roughly chop the celery leaves. 
  • Add 1 Tbsp Olive Oil to a large frying pan.  Heat pan and olive oil on the stove for 1 minute over medium heat.  Add your halloumi and fry for a couple of minutes on each side or until golden brown.
  • Whilst your halloumi is cooking, lay the orange across the base of a serving platter.
  • Once your halloumi is perfectly cooked, turn the heat down to low and add your kalamata olives to the pan. Pour over your olive oil/juice/zest mixture and let it cook for 1-2 minutes.  Turn off the heat and add your chopped parsley. Fold together gently with a spatula so you don’t break up the halloumi.
  • Grab some tongs and arrange the halloumi and olives across the orange slices in a decorative manner. Pour the remaining oil and juices from the pan across the platter and garnish with celery leaves.
  • Eat this dish immediately whilst the halloumi is still warm and tender.

Notes

  • If you have any leftovers (doubtful) you can pop the salad in the microwave for 20-30 seconds to reheat. The halloumi miraculously comes back to life. 
  • Celery leaves are often just thrown out but as this salad shows, they’re full of flavour and can be added to any salad or chopped and used as a garnish.  
  • If you’re not confident about how to trim the orange, just do an internet search for ‘How to supreme an orange,’ there'll be loads of video demos.
Keyword Healthy, Warm, Zesty