Halloumi and watermelon salad

This halloumi and watermelon salad is an incredibly simple combination but one that has a fantastic mix of contrasting flavors and textures. It's quick, easy, tasty and perfect for summer.

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Watermelon is one of those fruits that absolutely screams summer. It's so incredibly refreshing, being mainly water after all, and with that light fresh flavor. As a result, it's something that many enjoy as a snack on warmer days.

In Cyprus, it's pretty common to serve watermelon and halloumi together as a snack. The combination of salty cheese and sweet, juicy fruit is such a great contrast and just what you need on those warm Mediterranean days.

This salad makes a couple of slight additions and tweaks to the combination to make it slightly fancier-feeling but still with very little effort required.

What is halloumi?

Halloumi is a traditional Cypriot cheese that's a staple of the island. It's a semi-hard, brined cheese traditionally made from sheep and goat's milk, though you will also find versions made with some cow's milk. It's relatively mild but tastes a bit salty due to the brining.

You'll find it served in Cyprus as part of breakfast platters, to snack on with drinks and integrated into many a meal, too.

While I think I've seen it as often uncooked as cooked in Cyprus, elsewhere it's probably best known for being great to cook with. It grills or fries really well as it doesn't melt but instead becomes a little more squeaky and nicely browned.

Salad ingredients

This salad has just a short list of ingredients:

• Watermelon - one of the stars, bringing refreshment, color and a gently sweet flavor.
• Halloumi - the other star, adding saltiness and a firmer texture.
• Mint - just a little gives an extra burst of freshness to the watermelon.
• Lemon, olive oil and honey - these combine to form a light, bright dressing to bring out the flavor in the watermelon.
• Arugula (rocket) - while not essential, it provides a great base for presentation and also a contrasting pepperiness that works well.

While the Cypriot dish is simply uncooked halloumi and watermelon, adding the dressing enhances the watermelon's flavor. And personally, I just prefer the texture and flavor of cooked halloumi which is why I cooked it here (though you can leave uncooked if you prefer).

Choosing a ripe, flavorful watermelon

A ripe, flavorful watermelon really makes a difference for this as there are so few ingredients. If you are going for ready-cut watermelon, look for one that has a deeper color flesh and looks juicy rather than a bit pale and dull. With a wedge on the skin, I generally find the ones with less white towards the outside are riper and have a better flavor.

If you start with a whole watermelon, you can't of course use the flesh color as a guide. Instead, the outside can give you a few indicators. It should feel heavy for it's size, indicating it's juicy. It should give a deep, hollow sound when you tap it.

Look for a watermelon that's rounded rather than elongated, and evenly shaped. If it has a spot, look for a yellow one rather than white which indicates a better flavor.

Even if your watermelon isn't ideal, the mint and lemon-honey dressing helps bring out the flavor. Let the chunks sit dressed as you prepare the halloumi.

Tips for cooking halloumi

Halloumi is pretty easy to cook and you have a choice of either pan frying it or grilling. In both cases, you don't need to add any oil as you cook - just use a dry skillet/pan or place straight on the grill.

Cut the cheese into thick-ish slices so you can then cut into chunks after cooking. Thinner slices works for other things but here I think thicker is better. The cheese may open a bit, as in the photo, as it cooks but don't worry - you can break it along the way it starts to open before adding to the salad.

It will sputter a bit as it first starts cooking as moisture releases from the cheese. Don't worry, this is fine and normal. And in fact, it's better to be a little higher heat so this happens quickly rather than the saltiness reabsorb too much into the cheese. That said, you don't want to burn the cheese so there's a balance.

Check regularly as it starts to brown so you can then turn and cook the second side before it gets too browned. The second side will be quicker, so watch closely.

Let it cool briefly before cutting into chunks to combine with the watermelon on top of the arugula base. Then serve and enjoy.

This salad is great for snacking on, serving as part of a potluck or with other dishes in a meze meal. It also makes a great lunch just on it's own - perfect for those hot days when you need minimal effort, not too heavy yet tasty.

This halloumi and watermelon salad is such a simple combination yet it's fantastically varied in flavors and textures. The contrast of sweet and salty, juicy and firm is such a great mix. It's bright, summery and well worth enjoying any excuse you can find.

Try these other salads with fruit, perfect for summer:

• Grilled peach salad (packed with summer flavor, this salad is a tasty mix of greens, fruit and more)
• Thai green papaya salad (the green papaya means it's more savory than sweet, but it's still packed with flavor)
• Tropical fruit salad (a delicious, flexible mix of fruits with a passion fruit dressing, great as a potluck dish, breakfast or dessert)
• Plus get more lunch ideas and summer recipes in the archives.

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