WATERMELON & HALOUMI CHEESE SALAD

I can’t take a good Selfie, to save my life.  Actually that’s not entirely true; I’ve taken one good selfie it was of Billy and me in Key West, and I posted that sucker on Instagram, and Facebook, and Twitter…it had to be seen!

I have friends on Instagram and Facebook that know how to work that little lens on their phone.  They know how to angle their cameras, how to turn their heads, which way to flip their hair, every photo is post worthy…and they post them…a-lot!  Just sayin’.

I take a picture and I have chins where there shouldn’t be chins; my hair is fluffy (not cute like a bunny, fluffy) and my face…well I just know my face ain’t that big.  My photos are not post worthy…and I delete them…every single one them!  Except for that one!

Any hoo…It’s been hot here in FLA, and they say it’s not the heat it’s the humidity, I’m saying it’s the heat and the humidity!  

To beat the heat I made a Watermelon and Haloumi Cheese Salad.  This salad is a salad of opposites.  It’s sweet and it’s salty, it’s tender and it’s crisp, it’s hot and it’s cold; and if opposites attract, this salad is looking really attractive!

In the case that you don’t know what the heck a Haloumi is; Haloumi is a Greek cheese that can be grilled or fried and hold it’s shape, it’s a bit salty, and similar to Queso Frito.

Watermelon and Haloumi Cheese Salad is terrific for a light lunch or dinner, or to serve along-side with pretty much anything that you want to grill up!

This salad can’t take a selfie, but it sure does take a pretty picture!

Here’s what you do.

Chunks of watermelon are nice so cut the watermelon into 1 inch cubes.  

Also slice some red onion really thin, I don't like too much onion, so I only used 1/4 cup, but if you love it go ahead and add as much as your heart (or taste buds) desire!

Part of the appeal of this salad is the contrast of cold crisp salad with the hot cheese, so prep the ingredients and put them into the refrigerator before cooking the cheese, you may even like to put a your serving dish into the refrigerator.

I sampled this cheese at Whole Foods, and got totally sucked in to buying it!  

Those sample giver outers; they know what they're doing!  

This cheese is good, has a similar texture and saltiness of Haloumi and it's easy to heat (follow the package directions); but all in all, I do prefer to grill my own Haloumi cheese, old habits.  

Allow the cooked cheese to rest for about 2 minutes before cutting it into ¾ inch cubes.

Capers add a little brininess to the salad; I like to fry them in a little hot oil.  

If you haven't had fried capers, you really should!

 

Be sure to blot the capers on a paper towel to remove excess moisture before adding them to hot oil, this keeps the splattering to a minimum.

Cook the capers until they are a deep golden brown, like just before burnt, and allow them to drain on a piece of paper towel.

Brine packed capers will open like little flowers, but these were salt packed capers, so they really didn't open.

I also used fig flavored balsamic vinegar and lemon infused olive oil.  

If you don't have flavored oil and vinegar just use a good balsamic and extra virgin olive oil.

Dress some arugula with 3 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of balsamic, also season with a pinch of salt and lots of pepper, keeping in mind that the capers and the cheese are both salty.

Oops, almost forgot the onions! 

 

Toss them in as well.

Make a bed of the arugula on a platter or shallow bowl.

Place the watermelon and the cheese over the arugula, and then sprinkle some more balsamic vinegar and the fried capers over everything.

Enjoy this refreshing salad immediately as a light lunch or dinner, or as an appetizer or a side dish to whatever you're grilling!

WATERMELON & HALOUMI CHEESE SALAD

Serves 4

6                       oz.          Haloumi cheese (or Heat &Serve Baked Cheese)

1 ½                    tsp.        Capers, drained and rinsed

2                        tsp.        Grape seed oil

1-5                     oz.bag     Arugula

¼                      cup         Red onion, finely sliced

3                      Tbsp.      Extra virgin olive oil (I used lemon flavored)

2                        Tbsp.      Balsamic vinegar, divided use (I used fig flavored)

                                      Salt & pepper to taste

20-1 inch              cubes     Water melon

1.  Heat a medium sized skillet or grill pan to heat that is between medium and medium-high.  Add the Haloumi to the hot skillet or grill pan and cook until golden brown on each side (or cook Heat & Serve Baked Cheese according to the package directions).  Allow the cheese to sit for just about 2minutes before cutting it into ¾ inch cubes.

2.  Lay the capers out on a clean piece of paper towel to remove any excess moisture.  Heat the grape seed oil in a small skillet (or you may use the skillet the cheese was cooked in) over medium-high heat.  When the oil is hot, add the capers and stir frequently.  Cook the capers until they are golden brown and the crisp.   Do not do this step in advance, or the capers will become soggy.

3.  In a large bowl, toss together the arugula, red onion, olive oil, 1 Tbsp. of the balsamic vinegar, and salt & pepper to taste. 

4.  Lay the dressed arugula and onions on a platter or a large shallow bowl.  Arrange the watermelon and cheese cubes over the greens in an attractive manner.  Drizzle the remaining balsamic vinegar over the top, and sprinkle the fried capers over everything.

*One of the keys to this salad is that the watermelon and arugula are crisp and cold, and the cheese is hot and melty.


You may also like:

Strawberry Spinach Salad with Pesto Dressing

Watermelon Tarragon Agua Fresca

Nectarine (or peach) and Feta Salad

Grapefruit and Snow Pea Salad

I shared this recipe at:

The Weekend Potluck , 
Freedom Fridays