Summer Halloumi Salad With Lemon Vinaigrette 🍋
One of those salads that you can't stop eating.
Do you remember when everyone was talking about burrata 10 years ago?
For most of us, it was a new, novel, and exciting cheese. The inside of the mozzarella ball! Could it get better?
I still have a deep love for burrata, but I’ll admit that sometimes I’m bewildered when I eat at a restaurant and the server explains to me what burrata is (It’s 2025—who doesn’t know what burrata is?). And yet I appreciate the educational component, because while I’ve had more than my fair share of burrata, there are plenty of ingredients I’m clueless about.
Something newer to my gastronomic canvas is halloumi. Yes—halloumi. That somewhat squeaky, irresistibly salty, chewy, and dreamy-when-melty cheese.
Halloumi is my new burrata.
It’s great in salads, on its own pan-fried and slathered in honey, or skewered on the grill with fresh veggies and meat.
The first version of this salad was a “clean out the fridge” attempt several months ago while I was out the door and headed to preschool drop off. The final version below is better, but even at phase one I knew I was onto something: crispy chickpeas, the perfect amount of crunch (cucumbers) and citrus (tomatoes), and that irresistibly melty, crispy, dreamy halloumi.
This recipe is so uncomplicated that I have few tips beyond following the instructions. Make sure to buy a good-quality halloumi, ideally one that is PDO-labeled from Cyprus. Here’s what I like to buy at Costco:
Summer produce is at its peak, so you have no excuse not to use your best cherry tomatoes and cucumbers, and this recipe is perfect for using up those fresh herbs in your garden (or your neighbor’s garden). Don’t have oregano or basil? Feel free to substitute chives, rosemary, thyme, or mint.
2 (15.5-ounce) cans chickpeas, rinsed, drained, & patted dry