Now that winter is behind us and summer on the way, it’s time for salads to take their rightful place on the dinner table once again. Relinquishing all that hearty, comfort food and embracing a much lighter fare is something my body is already thanking me for. With the promise of warmer weather to exercise in and good intentions of cutting back slightly on the sweeter treats that I’m so partial to baking and eating, I’m hoping to soon shed a kilo or two and feel more comfortable in my skin. In my mind, plentiful salads are key… so I look forward to sharing a few new recipes in this genre with you over the coming months.
The flavours and textures of this particular salad work so well together. Sweetness from the oranges, pair well with the saltiness of the halloumi and the bitterness from the greens/leaves. The pine nuts bring a great little crunch. This salad could certainly be served as a side dish to grilled meat, but will also stand up alone for a delicious lunch or light dinner.
Halloumi, Orange and Bitter Leaf Salad | Gather and Graze
- 250g (9oz) Halloumi Cheese (sliced)
- 1 Head of Radicchio (thinly sliced)
- Large Handful Rocket/Arugula Leaves
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Balsamic Glaze or Vino Cotto
- Salt and Black Pepper
- 1 Orange (skin removed and flesh cut out, into wedges)
- 30g (4 Tablespoons) Toasted Pine Nuts
- 1-2 Teaspoons Dukkah (optional)*
Heat a frypan over medium-high heat and fry the halloumi on both sides until golden. Remove to a plate lined with paper towel to cool a little. Cut or tear each slice into smaller chunks.
Combine the sliced radicchio and rocket/arugula leaves in a serving bowl. Drizzle with some olive oil and a little balsamic glaze. Season with salt and black pepper and toss with hands to ensure all the leaves are coated.
Top the dressed leaves with the slices of orange and pieces of halloumi, then scatter with pine nuts and the dukkah (if using). Serve immediately.
* Please link through here for a beautiful Dukkah recipe by Sandra at ‘Please Pass the Recipe’
Gather & Graze 
Amazing blog!! Tantalising falvours:))
Thank you so much for the kind words! 🙂
that’s looks very tasty. I want to make it at home and give it to my husband and son.
Love halloumi, must try this
Thanks – I really hope you give it a try.
The saltiness of the grilled haloumi must have been delicious with the sweet orange and bitter radicchio Margot, this is my kind of salad
No extra salt required with this one Sandra, as the halloumi definitely provides enough. I’m a convert to radicchio, after you introduced it to me with our winter menu… it now appears regularly in our spring salads.
Looks delicious Margot…one of those perfect trans-seasonal salads, and I’m impressed you segmented the oranges, I make a mess every time I try 🙂
Cheers Beck. 🙂 I have a particular knife (my smaller cook’s knife), which seems to cut through with ease and thankfully not leave a big juicy mess behind.
What a beautiful salad, Margot. Love the orange and raddichio and i think the grilled halloumi makes it particularly good. I would be very happy to have this for lunch/dinner!
Thanks Jo, so pleased that you like this salad. I agree, it’s the halloumi that makes it special. 🙂
The salad sounds so filling and flavorful with balsamic pine nuts and dukkah!!
Love it Margot!
What is the texture of Haloumi like?
Thanks very much Sonal. Halloumi is known rather fondly in our family (and I dare say in many other families too…) as ‘Squeaky Cheese’, though we all love eating it. It has a beautiful saltiness to it and is best eaten warm, just off the grill or frypan. Hope you manage to find some to give it a try. 🙂
Thanks so much Margot! I will search for it.
Slightly, in italics! Love that. And the new/fresh look. Is it just the background you’ve changed? Ah, maybe the colour of the header font. Anyway, this salad would be superb at any time. Haven’t had halloumi in ages – must treat myself next week. 🙂 Until then, I must get off the net and get some beauty sleep.
Thanks Johnny. Yes, essentially just font colours and background, but also a little paring back of widgets in the margin to simplify things further. Still trying to decide if the background is really for me… but just enjoying the change for the moment (almost as good as a holiday…) 🙂
This salad is so refreshing with burst of tastes, textures of ingredients and sophisticated seasoning. Indeed, it is a special salad. Yum! 🙂
Thanks so very much dear Fae. Thinking this could be quite pretty and flavourful to try with some ruby/pink grapefruit next time. Hope you have a lovely, relaxing weekend!
So often, a light supper salad is all my sweetheart and I need after a long day, and this looks made to order–vibrant with color and flavor. I have no idea what Dukkah is, so I’ll have to look that up, but I suspect I’m in for a new taste treat! Sharing this as Recipe of the Day with my Facebook pals on Cooking with Whole Grains & Real Whole Foods.
Kathryn Grace, I think it’s all that most of us probably need after a long day… the body definitely feels better for not having a massive meal at dinner time.
Dukkah is a mix of spices (like cumin and coriander), dried herbs, nuts and sometimes seeds (like sesame seeds) – used as a condiment… Egyptian in origin apparently. Really lovely to serve as an appetiser, where you dip fresh bread into extra virgin olive oil and then into the dukkah. Really easy to make your own… I’ll add a link up above to a friend’s blog, who I know makes a lovely version from scratch.
Cheers, Margot
Thank you, Margot. I’m excited to find a new condiment.
Margot this is a wonderful salad. I would enjoy this any time of year. I love the haloumi and orange and crunch of pine nuts, the dukkah is also a great touch. Saved!!
Thanks Suzanne, it really is a nice salad for anytime of year. More often than not, I tend to add feta cheese to my salads, but halloumi makes for a lovely addition, particularly with the bitter greens to balance the saltiness of the cheese.
Totally Agee and I do the same with feta but love the halloumi here.
I adore haloumi. It’s one of my favourite ways to eat cheese…. particularly straight out of the pan, crispy and warm with that softened squeaky centre. YUM. The tangy leaves and citrus would be amazing in this. Love the addition of vincotto! xx
Me too Laura… in fact I think it might feature on today’s lunch menu as well. 😉 Thanks so much for stopping by… hope all is well with you. M.xx
This is wonderful, Margot, and though winter is on its way, all of the ingredients can still be found at our markets! And I’ve found a place where I can find halloumi at last! I love these simple salads with tons of flavors and texture.
Oh that’s fabulous Darya… and great that you’ve found a Halloumi source. We use it all the time through the warmer months of the year. My preferred way of eating it is to fry slices as above, then top them with a slice of avocado, a squeeze of lemon/lime juice and a little freshly ground black pepper – so yummy!
Lady, this is one good looking salad! Mmmm, halloumi… so cold and rainy in Sydney today that I might just gorge myself on the halloumi x
It was a bit like that here in Canberra yesterday too, so the warm halloumi was the perfect addition to my salad. Trying now desperately to get myself organised with posts written at least a couple of weeks in advance. Focus, focus, focus! 😉 Feeling so inspired from EDB15. Even sat down and tried to write 100 post ideas a couple of days ago… still working on it, but it’s such a useful thing to do. M.xx
Good on you! TBH I can’t see myself doing the 100 post ideas – when I am struck with baking inspiration I simply must bake it! I need to up my focus game though – or delete my facebook account #wastingTime
The presentation is beautiful. It looks so delicious, fresh and tasty Margot! 🙂 Love the new look too!
That’s very sweet of you to say Linda, thank you. Thought it was about time for a little G&G facelift… so pleased to know that you like it. 🙂
Haloumi in a salad is fab, I haven’t paired it with orange before so this is definitely on my ‘to eat’ list. I hear you on the ‘more salad, less cake’ regime.
The only trouble is, I adore baking… the smells wafting through the house, the whole process of turning a bunch of ingredients into something special, the looks of appreciation from the family… oh and the taste of it all as it gets munched up too. :o/ There lies the problem…
Just need to find the right balance, I guess. Have a great weekend cheergerm!
I’ve always wanted to make a salad with fried halloumi. This sounds so wonderfully fresh, crunchy and refreshing. So nice to see you enjoying the warmer weather and lighter foods. I’m loving your new look Margot…
The halloumi is definitely the best bit Seana. I couldn’t stop nibbling on the extra slices as I was trying to plate it up. 🙂 Feeling so much healthier (both mentally and physically) from the lighter food choices along with a little cycling and walking.
Happy to know that you like the new look… it was about time for a few small changes. M.xx
I’m afraid I would do the same Margot. Half the time I’m so full by the time I sit down for dinner just from “tasting” it. 🙂 I love biking too, and well, jogging at a very slow pace. Wish we lived close…we could encourage each other to go the extra mile. xx
I wish we lived closer too Seana, what fun that would be.
We’re lucky to have a lovely lake nearby to walk/run/cycle around, as well as a small mountain on our doorstep which has some trails going up it, which are great to walk on and get the heart rate up a bit. I’m motivated now, but that usually wears off in a month or so… 😉
Lol. I know exactly what you mean…sounds like beautiful country.