Grilled haloumi, watermelon and mint salad

A fresh combination of juicy watermelon and tomato, warm haloumi and tangy pomegranate seeds, topped with a homemade pistachio dukkah.

Credit: Adam Liaw

• serves

  4

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  15 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 200 g watermelon pieces
• 100 g cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 large handful mint leaves, torn if large
• 3 limes, juiced
• extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
• 180 g haloumi, cut into 1 cm–thick slices, pat dried
• 1 tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp pomegranate seeds
• sea salt and black pepper, to taste

Pistachio dukkah

• 140 g (1 cup) shelled pistachios
• 115 g (¾ cup) sesame seeds
• 1 tbsp ground coriander
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 20 g (¼ cup) shredded coconut
• 1 lemon, finely grated zest
• 2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tsp sea salt

Instructions

1. For the dukkah, place the pistachios, sesame seeds, spices and coconut in a large frying pan and cook over medium heat, shaking the pan regularly until golden and fragrant. Remove from the heat and stand until cool. Transfer the toasted ingredients, lemon zest, pepper and salt into a food processor and pulse twice to break up and combine all the ingredients. You can also use a mortar and pestle. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
2. Meanwhile, preheat a chargrill pan over high heat. Place the watermelon, tomatoes, mint and lime juice in a bowl, gently toss together and let sit for 5 minutes.
3. Drizzle a little oil onto the chargrill pan, then add the haloumi and cook for 1-2 minutes on each side or until golden brown.
4. To assemble, scatter the watermelon mixture over the base of a serving plate. Top with the hot grilled haloumi, drizzle with honey, scatter with the pomegranate seeds and a generous amount of dukkah. Drizzle with a little extra oil and serve immediately. 

 

Photography by Adam Liaw.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.