Chickpea Halloumi Salad Recipe
A delicious and nutritious salad, because this Chickpea Halloumi Salad is packed with flavor and protein: smoky crispy chickpeas, salty halloumi, and a creamy garlicky tahini dressing.
Ingredients
- 1 can or jar chickpeas 400g of drained chickpeas
- 250 g halloumi cheese
- 200 g cherry tomatoes or 3 large vine tomatoes
- 1 medium cucumber or half large one
- ½ red onion thinly sliced and quick pickled
- apple cider vinegar optional, if you are quick pickling the onion slices
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- 3 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 1 handful mint and basil leaves picked for garnish
For the yogurt tahini sauce
- 3 tbsp Greek yogurt heaped
- 1 tbsp tahini
- 1 medium garlic clove grated
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 lemon juice squeezed
Instructions
Prepare the ingredients
- Drain the chickpeas (no need to rinse). Halve the cherry tomatoes and toss them in a bowl with a good pinch of sea salt. Cut the cucumber into stripes, removing the middle ones with the seeds, then into 1 inch cubes.
- Peel the red onion and cut in half, using half of the onion to slice into thin rings (if pickling, steep in the apple vinegar for a quick pickle) and set aside.
Toast the Chickpeas
- Heat a frying pan over medium heat. Add a little olive oil then the chickpeas, a pinch of sea salt, and a good sprinkle of peri peri seasoning. Toss until golden brown and slightly crispy. Set aside to cool slightly.
- In the same pan, toast the stale bread cubes with a bit more olive oil for a minute or so if using to make croutons. This is optional.
Make the Yogurt Tahini Dressing
- Combine Greek yogurt, tahini, grated garlic, salt, and lemon juice in a small bowl. Whisk briefly until smooth.
Griddle the Halloumi
- Cut the halloumi into thick slices. Griddle or pan-fry until golden brown on both sides.
Assemble the Salad
- In a large salad bowl, combine the chickpeas, croutons if using, grilled halloumi, tomatoes, cucumber, and pickled red onion.
- Top with the yogurt tahini sauce and serve immediately. Garnish the individual bowls with mint and basil leaves.
Notes
- The most important thing to remember for a gourmet experience, is to grill and add the halloumi slices just before you serve. That is if you want warm, and squeegee halloumi. But, yes, there is a caveat: a second best will be to reheat the halloumi cheese pieces gently in the microwave, especially if you have leftover grilled halloumi. Still good me thinks 😁!
- Pat dry the halloumi with kitchen paper before slicing it, it helps that lovely crust during grilling.
- Get the best out of your tomatoes by slicing them and tossing in a bowl with a good pinch of sea salt flakes, allowing a little marinading. Their flavor gets elevated, bringing out sweetness and savoriness at the same time.
- If you love onions, you will love a quick pickled onion even more: just slice the red onion in thin slices and steep in a jar or bowl, submerging them in apple cider vinegar or any vinegar you have. They get translucently pink and lose their pungency, turning more mild.
- Scoop out or cut out the cucumber seeds to avoid the salad being watery, but in a rush you can leave it especially if you are eating it all straightaway.
- If the dressing is too thick, thin out with a tablespoon or two of cold water.
Tried this recipe?Tag me @candyflossiecooks on Instagram! I'd love to see how your dish turns out ! ✨