Middle Eastern

My Big Fat Halloumi Salad

by:
June 12, 2021
5
20 Ratings
My Big Fat Halloumi Salad
Photo by JULIA GARTLAND. PROP STYLIST: MEGAN HEDGPETH. FOOD STYLIST: SAM SENEVIRATNE.
  • Prep time 10 minutes
  • Cook time 25 minutes
  • makes 1 big salad
Author Notes

This salad reminds me of a Middle Eastern meze spread in the best way. There’s crunch from the roasted almonds, chewy and sweet dates, tender roasted eggplant, crispy chickpeas, and hunks of seared Halloumi. After tossing the peppery arugula and bitter radicchio in a bright sumac dressing, I pile it all onto a large plate and garnish with the hot and cold toppings. This allows me to choose a different adventure with every bite, but if you’re the type that likes to fully commit, toss the whole thing in a big bowl and dig in.

If you want another big salad (of course you do), check out my Italian Combo Salad and read more about how to make your own big salad creation here. —Sohla El-Waylly

What You'll Need
Watch This Recipe
My Big Fat Halloumi Salad
Ingredients
  • Halloumi salad
  • 1 small eggplant (about 7 ounces), halved lengthwise and sliced into 1/2-inch half-moons
  • 4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
  • 1/3 cup cooked and drained chickpeas
  • 3 ounces Halloumi, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
  • 1 cup arugula, lightly packed
  • 1/2 small head radicchio (about 5 ounces), cored and torn into bite-size pieces
  • 1/3 cup parsley leaves and tender stems, lightly packed
  • 1/4 cup sliced or chopped almonds, toasted
  • 3 medjool dates, pitted and torn into pieces
  • 1 tangerine, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch rounds, seeds removed
  • Honey dressing
  • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, plus more to taste
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon honey, plus more to taste
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons sumac
  • 1/2 teaspoon Aleppo pepper (or another mild chile flake)
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
Directions
  1. Place a sheet pan in the oven and heat to 450°F.
  2. In a large bowl, toss the eggplant with 2 teaspoons of oil to coat. Sprinkle with the salt and sugar, toss to coat, and spread onto the heated sheet pan. Roast until the bottom of the eggplant is lightly browned, about 15 minutes.
  3. In the same bowl (no need to wash it out), toss the chickpeas with 1 teaspoon of oil to coat and season lightly with salt.
  4. Remove the sheet pan from the oven, flip over the eggplant, and scooch to one side of the pan. Spread the chickpeas alongside the eggplant. Drizzle the remaining teaspoon of oil onto the now bare side of the pan and add the Halloumi. Return to the oven and cook until the eggplant is brown and tender, the chickpeas are crunchy, and the underside of the Halloumi is crisp, about 10 minutes.
  5. Meanwhile, in the same large bowl, whisk all of the dressing ingredients until well combined. Transfer 1 tablespoon of this dressing to a small bowl or glass.
  6. Add the arugula, radicchio, and parsley to the large bowl and toss. Taste and add more salt, lemon juice, or honey as needed.
  7. Place the dressed arugula mixture onto a large plate. Arrange the eggplant, Halloumi, chickpeas, almonds, dates, and tangerine slices on top of the greens. Drizzle with the remaining dressing and serve right away.
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Sohla El-Waylly
Sohla El-Waylly is a Food52 Resident, sharing new riffable recipes every month that'll help you get creative in the kitchen. Watch her cook on YouTube in her new series, Off-Script With Sohla. Before she started developing fun recipes for home cooks, she worked as a chef in N.Y.C. and L.A., briefly owning a restaurant in Brooklyn with her husband and fellow chef, Ham El-Waylly. She lives in the East Village with Ham, their two dogs, and cat. Find out what else she's up to on Instagram @sohlae

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13 Reviews

lil
lil February 25, 2023
Incredibly good! Amazing array of flavors. Feels lush and satisfying. More work than your average salad, and more delicious. A great dish to make when hosting dinner with friends/lovers.
 
jerry
jerry March 9, 2022
It's so satisfying to watch you cook, i wish you were on Khal, you will definitely get a lot of love on that site
 
Betty
Betty August 9, 2021
The only ingredient I did not have was the Aleppo pepper. I did not miss it. Both my husband I loved it. A flavour bomb in every mouthful.
 
mcbabb
mcbabb August 9, 2021
I love this salad! The combination of textures and flavors are next level.
Sohla El-Waylly is one of my favorite chefs to follow.
In addition to the arugula, parsley and endive, I added some spinach and romaine, just to make it more salady. Still worked. Did't change anything else. Loved it.
 
CarrieBee
CarrieBee June 22, 2021
Like all recipes from Sohla, this one’s a big hit! Flavors and textures are interesting and well balanced, and her instructions are very easy to follow. Made this exactly as instructed the first time, and it was fabulous! This time, I’m modifying the dressing by adding some tahini and za’atar to the dressing, plus a little extra sumac for more of a lemony tangy pop. This is my new favorite dinner! Thank you, Sohla!
 
Danielle M.
Danielle M. June 12, 2021
I made this exactly as the recipe is written and it was so unbelievably good. I made it while visiting my parents and we all agreed it's the best salad we've ever had. It has a great balance of sweet, salty, and bitter. Lots of different textures as well. Also so easy! I'll definitely be making this regularly.
 
Margie
Margie June 8, 2021
This is fantastic. I do not cook much but this was so easy to follow and really unusually good! Salads are my specialty and my husband said it was the best thing I ever made. That says it all. This will be a regular in our home.
 
sepiared
sepiared June 3, 2021
OMG! This is a fantastic, simple, flavor-packed salad. And, it's all in one bowl! :)
I
 
Alexandraslp8
Alexandraslp8 May 29, 2021
I made a few changes to the salad based on what I had available but holy moly this is one awesome flavor combination! I crisped up some feta coated in cornstarch in a skillet in place of the halloumi and I used spring greens instead of arugula but YUM this was so good. Love the sumac in the dressing. Thanks for this recipe Sohla!
 
brushjl
brushjl May 29, 2021
Fabulous, loved the combination of flavors and textures. It keeps well too, rare for a salad.
 
Sallevene
Sallevene May 10, 2021
Absolutely delicious! As wanted to use the stuff I had, I put lettuce instead of the radicchio, pine nuts, clementine and some crushed red pepper flakes. Texture and flavours are well balanced, it hits just the right spot! Will definitely be making again, and I’m not usually a salad lover
 
sara
sara May 4, 2021
Flavor-bomb of deliciousness! Hit every texture and flavor profile! When the hubs goes back for seconds, you know it's a keeper! ;) Thank you Sohla for another amazing recipe! Cheers from England!
 
Pandora D.
Pandora D. May 4, 2021
After seeing Sohla's video last night I ran to the shop today to get all the ingredients - the salad turned out wonderful! I added a little bit of paprika to the chickpeas when roasting and substituted the radicchio for little gem. I absolutely loved the idea of roasting the halloumi. I usually fry it and the texture becomes gummy, but roasting it made it soft and chewy in a very pleasant way. Would very much recommend!