This halloumi pomegranate salad is a delicious mix of textures, flavors and colors. It's bright, crunchy and with lovely bursts of sweet-tart fruit. It makes both a great light meal or appetizer/side.

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I've long been a fan of halloumi and remember being so happy when it appeared on the breakfast buffet when I visited Cyprus. Which is probably not a surprise, as it's well and truly enjoyed as a national treasure.
But I admit at home, we might snack on it as part of a snacky lunch, but I rarely get more creative with it. This salad is definitely an exception. It's definitely not complicated, but it has a lovely mix of flavors going on. They're broadly Mediterranean and all work so well. Though you can easily adapt the ingredients to what you have and to taste.

Ingredients and substitutions
As I say, this salad is relatively simple and comes together easily. I really like the combination here, but you can easily substitute many aspects of it. The components are:
- Halloumi - one of the stars! This Cypriot cheese is perfect for pan frying, as I have here, though you can also grill if you prefer. While to me, it's a key part of the salad, you can skip it and you'll still have a really tasty pomegranate salad that will work well as a side salad, in particular.
- Pomegranate arils - these are the other star. The bright little seeds add a wonderful color and flavor. They burst as you eat them with a little sweet, a little tart. Again, they're kind of key, but in a push you could substitute with dried fruit such as cranberries or cherries.
- Arugula - this is the base though you can also use spinach or a mix of other greens, such as some frisee or radicchio in with milder lettuce. I think a slightly more wintery feel feels fitting, as does a little 'bite' or bitterness, but adapt as you prefer.
- Tomato and cucumber - these classic salad ingredients add texture, color and a bit more 'bulk'. You can easily omit or swap in eg peppers, radishes or other elements of crunch. Some thinly sliced fennel, for example, would work well.
- Walnuts - these add extra crunch and a nice contrasting flavor. Walnuts and pomegranate are a popular pairing in Persian cooking such as in fesenjan. You could also use pecans, almonds or pepitas. You can skip if you prefer, but they are great in there (especially once maple-coated, as below!)
- Pomegranate dressing - this has a lovely sweet-tart flavor, combining pomegranate molasses, lemon, olive oil and a little Dijon and honey. It's easy and so tasty. Pomegranate molasses is essentially reduced pomegranate juice that has a great sweet-tart flavor. If you prefer something different, other dressings will also work, such as an orange vinaigrette (like in my squash wild rice salad) or maple balsamic (as in my beet apple salad).

Making and storing maple candied walnuts
The candied walnuts are based on the maple candied pecans I have made before such as in my pear and gorgonzola salad. They are really quick to make - all you do is:
- Dry-toast the walnut pieces in a skillet until gently browned and nutty smelling.
- Drizzle the maple syrup over them and quickly toss so they are coated.
- Tip them on some parchment paper and let them cool.
Make sure you use a plastic spatula to stir as the syrup does get hot. For the same reason, I recommend you don't handle the walnuts directly until they are cool. Using a plastic spatula means once any excess syrup has cooled, it just slides off really easily (and tastes delicious!) Similarly, I recommend using a non-stick skillet.
You can keep the nuts in a sealed box at room temperature for a few weeks and use them on a whole range of salads, mix in to granola or use to top pancakes and more.
You can use honey instead of maple syrup if you prefer, but I find it flows less easily so is not quite as easy to toss the warm nuts in.

How to serve this salad
This salad can be served in a few ways. You can serve a large portion as a lunch or light meal in itself, or you can serve it as a smaller portion, as a side to a range of mains. Things like chicken, salmon and steak would all pair well, as would some roasted vegetables.
You can also serve it as an appetizer to a meal or as part of a buffet table. Arugula is better than many greens at keeping well for a little while without wilting too much, especially, if you wait before adding the dressing.
This halloumi pomegranate salad is a colorful, flavorful yet simple mix that's both versatile and tasty. It's full of festive colors but would be just as good for an everyday meal (like when you're trying to recover from festive foods!). Be sure to enjoy soon.

Try these other seasonal salads:
- Sicilian fennel orange salad (simple and refreshing)
- Butternut squash farro salad (another salad that's great as a meal)
- Spinach pomegranate salad (super simple, and great as a festive side)
- Plus get more salads, soup, sandwiches and other lunch recipes in the archives.
Halloumi pomegranate salad
Ingredients
For candied walnuts
- 3 tablespoon walnut pieces
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
For vinaigrette
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- ½ tablespoon pomegranate molasses
- 2 teaspoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon honey
- ¼ teaspoon Dijon mustard
For rest of salad
- 3 oz halloumi cheese
- 2 handfuls arugula rocket (approx)
- ¼ cup cucumber diced volume (¼ cup is approx 1 ½oz)
- 5 cherry tomatoes
- ¼ cup pomegranate arils
Instructions
For maple candied walnuts (can make ahead)
- First prepare a baking sheet or other flat surface with some parchment paper. Toast the walnut pieces in a dry skillet/frying pan for a couple minutes until they are starting to smell slightly toasted and are gently browning - turn part way, and take care they don't burn. Drizzle over the ½ tablespoon maple syrup and toss the nuts with a plastic spatula so they become coated. Remove from heat.
- Tip the walnuts on to the parchment and spread out so they are separated then leave to cool. If any are slightly stuck, they will separate best once fully cooled. The nuts can be made a week or two ahead and stored in an airtight container.
To make salad
- Cut the halloumi into slices and halve the slices if large. Fry on both sides in a dry skillet/frying pan until golden on both sides, a couple minutes each side.
- Place the arugula/rocket in the bottom of your serving plate(s). Dice the cucumber and halve the tomatoes and scatter over the top. Then top with around half of the pomegranate and walnuts. Add the slices of halloumi then top with the rest of the pomegranate and walnuts.
- Whisk together the olive oil, pomegranate molasses, lemon juice, Dijon mustard and honey (plus a little black pepper, if you like) and drizzle over the top.
Video
Nutrition
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