Ry and I recently went to N & E Agora Gourmet here in Northeast Philly, up on Tyson Ave. It’s a specialty Greek market that has some specific items that arn’t really available at our local Whole Foods. They have quite the selection of goodies. Just about everything you would imagine to be in a Greek specialty store, and then a whole lot more. I may have gone a little overboard with the shopping, but it was totally worth the trip.
While most of the store is jarred, canned or packaged goods, they do have a pretty big selection of cheeses. So along with the 3.5 lbs of feta we got, I grabbed some halloumi. The original recipe I had in mind, was fried halloumi over some perfectly ripe tomatoes, but once I started eating this hami melon Ry brought home, I had to rethink things. So basically, the original idea was scrapped and updated using the melon for a pan grilled halloumi cheese and hami melon salad. The combo of some salty fried halloumi, over super sweet melon with a scattering of yard herbs is incredible. I had plenty of basil and some chives, but really any tender herb would work. Mint would be especially nice here I think. And, there was a good drizzle of some olive oil to finish everything off. The whole dish is super simple to make, and it tastes amazing. I highly recommend it.
I may have gone a little overboard with the shopping, but it was totally worth the trip.
Grilled Halloumi Cheese and Hami Melon
Ingredients
- 1/2 hami melon sliced, cantaloupe would be a good substitute
- 1 package halloumi cheese sliced
- 1 handful fresh herbs roughly chopped – basil, chives, mint
- olive oil
- pepper
Instructions
- Like most salads, this one included, you’re just layering things on a plate. The only cooking bit here is frying the halloumi. Slice it about 1/4 thick and fry in a non-stick pan, over medium-high heat with a small drizzle of oil. You can certainly do this in a dry pan, but I always like adding more olive oil to everything if you haven’t noticed yet. Let it cook for about 3 minutes per side, until it gets a little color.
- Once your halloumi is cooked, it’s just a matter of arranging everything on a plate. Lay down your slices of melon and top with the fried halloumi. Then, scatter with your herbs, a generous drizzle of olive oil and some fresh cracked pepper. That’s it. Eat up!
