halloumi cheese salad with berries on a plate.
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This Halloumi cheese salad with berries recipe is totally inspired by a recipe I saw Michael Symon make.  I swapped out mixed berries for his strawberries, and changed up a couple of things, but I would never have thought of this type of salad without him.  And the results were fabulous.  I just loved it and I think you will too.

It really is a pretty simple salad but really has a powerful flavor profile.  There is warm and cold, sweet and tart, a little heat from the Urfa flakes and a little crunch from the almond slices.  This is just so good.  It makes a great starter course and although I call it a salad, I think of this as more of an appetizer.  BTW if you are a fan of Halloumi cheese, try my Halloumi Fries with Honey, Chili Flakes & Sesame recipe – YUM!

To get started on this recipe, lets toast up the almond slices.  Just heat a small non-stick skillet over medium heat and add the almonds.  Cook, tossing occasionally until lightly toasted – about 3 minutes.  Watch carefully, you don’t want them to burn.  Once toasted, put to the side to cool and move on to the vinaigrette.

I made a simple vinaigrette using olive oil, seasoned rice vinegar, minced shallot, sliced mint, salt and Urfa pepper flakes.  Chef Symon used lemon juice in his dressing, but I’ve been working with rice vinegar lately and choose that.  I hadn’t worked with Urfa pepper flakes before and I’ve got to say, I really like it.  The pepper isn’t as sharp as ground black pepper and is almost sweet.  Is that possible?  I like it a lot and predict I’ll be using is again and again in recipes.  I had lots of questions about Urfa, so I had to google.  Let me share what I’ve learned about the spice and maybe you’ll add to your spice cabinet too.

ingredients for dressing in a bowl.

What I learned about Urfa Pepper Flakes

A: Urfa pepper flakes are a Turkish spice made from sun-dried Urfa peppers. They have a dark purple-brown color and a smoky, raisin-like flavor with mild heat. The smell and taste was slightly sweet which was surprising in a spicy pepper.
A: Urfa pepper flakes are relatively mild, typically ranging from 30,000 to 50,000 Scoville Heat Units (SHU). They offer more flavor than heat and I like that.
A: They’re commonly used in Turkish and Middle Eastern cuisine to add depth and subtle heat to dishes. They work well in meat rubs, sauces, dips, and as a finishing spice for vegetables, eggs, and grilled meats. I’ve tried in on steak and in this dressing and it is really good.
A: Their unique processing method involves sun-drying during the day and wrapping at night, which creates their distinctive flavor profile – a balance of smoky, sweet, and tangy notes with a slight sweetness.
A: While unique, Urfa can be substituted with Aleppo pepper or a mixture of sweet paprika and smoked paprika with a pinch of cayenne for heat. However, the flavor profile won’t be exactly the same. I would also just substitute regular ground black pepper but not much since you aren’t looking for a lot of heat.

Just add everything to a bowl and whisk.  Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.Add the berries and gently toss to coat in the vinaigrette.  Now that you have the dressing and toasted almonds ready, all that is left is cooking your Halloumi cheese. 

vinaigrette with berries.

Take your block of cheese and cut two slices.  You can make these as thick as you like.  I find between 1/4 and 1/2 inch works great.

I simply wipe out the skillet I used to toast the almonds and then add the sliced cheese.  Let the cheese cook until the liquid evaporates and the first side is golden brown – about 2-3 minutes.  Carefully flip the cheese over and brown on the other side.

slices of halloumi cheese cooking in skillet.

To assemble the halloumi cheese salad, plate a slice of cheese on each of two plates.  Top evenly with the dressing and berries making sure each plates gets a few of each berry.  Sprinkle the top with the toasted almond slices and garnish the plate with mint leaves.  Serve and enjoy.  This is fast and easy, completely different and absolutely delish!

cooking halloumi cheese topped with vinaigrette and berries.

If you tried this recipe, leave a rating below.  Be sure to let me know if you made any changes to the recipe.  If you’d like to try other cheese starters, try some of my favorites.

Spicy Feta Dip

Marinated Mozzarella Cubes

Herbs and Lavender Fontina Dip

Goat Cheese Puff Pastry

Pistachio-Cherry Goat Cheese Balls

Fried Baby Brie Bites with Tart Cherry Jam

Baked Brie with Cinnamon Pears

halloumi cheese salad with berries on a plate.

Halloumi Cheese Salad with Berries

Skillet seared Halloui is topped with a berry and almond vinaigrette  for a delicious starter to any meal.
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 3 minutes
Total Time 8 minutes
Course Soups & Salads
Cuisine General
Servings 2 Served

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

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Ingredients
 
 

  • 2 Slices Halloumi cheese
  • 1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
  • 1 Tbsp. Seasoned rice wine vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp. Honey
  • 1 Tbsp. Shallot, finely minced
  • 1 Tbsp. Fresh mint leaves, sliced
  • 2 Tsp. Sliced almonds, toasted
  • Kosher salt and Urfa pepper flakes (or freshly ground black pepper) to tastes
  • 1/4 Cup Fresh mixed berries (blackberries, raspberries & blueberries)
  • Fresh Mint leaves to garnish.

Instructions
 

  • Preheat a non-stick skillet over medium heat.
  • In a bowl, add the olive oil, vinegar, honey, a pinch of salt and a pinch of Urfa pepper flakes or several grinds of black pepper. Whisk until combined. Add the minced shallot and torn mint and whisk again. Add the berries and gently toss.
  • Add your sliced almonds to the heated skillet and toast the almonds for 2-4 minutes tossing occasionally until lightly browned. Put to the side to cool.
  • Whip out the skillet with paper towel. Add your two slices of Halloumi cheese and cook until golden brown 1 ½ - 2 minutes. Flip and cook on the other side until golden. Another 1 – 1 1/2 minutes.
  • Plate the cheese and top with the berry salad. Sprinkle with the almond slices and garnish with a mint leave. Enjoy.
Keyword appetizer, greek, salad, starter
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

If you made this recipe, please leave a rating below and let me know how it came out.  Did you do anything different?  If you liked this cheese appetizer, be sure to try some of my other favorite cheese starters.