Halloumi usually gets paired with lemon, salad or something sweet like honey, but I wanted to try something where the sweetness came from the ingredient itself rather than adding another dressing.
Roasted grapes work surprisingly well for that.
Once they’re exposed to high heat, they soften, blister and become noticeably sweeter, while some burst and release their juice into the pan. Against salty, deeply browned halloumi, that little bit of sweetness makes much more sense than I expected.
I’ve kept everything else fairly simple. There’s thyme for an earthy flavour, lemon to bring back some acidity and black pepper to cut through the richness.
The important part is cooking the grapes and halloumi separately. The grapes need enough time to collapse and concentrate, while halloumi is at its best when it’s browned quickly and served immediately.
Put them together at the end and you get a small plate that’s salty, sweet, sharp and savoury without needing much else.
Halloumi with Roasted Grapes, Lemon & Thyme
Ingredients
- Roasted Grapes
- 250 g seedless red grapes
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- ¼ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- Small pinch of salt
- Halloumi
- 250 g halloumi
- 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- To Finish
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
- 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
- Freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil optional
Method
- Preheat the oven
- Preheat the oven to 220°C conventional / 200°C fan.
- Line a baking tray with baking paper.
- Prepare the grapes
- Remove the grapes from their stems and place them in a bowl.
- Add:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 4 thyme sprigs
- Black pepper
- Small pinch of salt
- Toss until lightly coated.
- Roast the grapes
- Spread the grapes over the prepared tray in a single layer.
- Roast for 15–20 minutes.
- You’re looking for grapes that have softened and blistered, with some beginning to collapse or split.
- There should also be a small amount of concentrated grape juice collecting on the tray.
- Don’t discard it.
- Prepare the halloumi
- While the grapes are finishing, drain the halloumi and pat it thoroughly dry.
- Cut into approximately 8–10 mm thick slices.
- I’d rather have reasonably thick pieces than thin slices. Halloumi needs enough thickness to remain soft inside after the outside has browned.
- Heat the pan
- Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat.
- Add 1 tsp olive oil and spread it very lightly across the pan.
- Halloumi doesn’t need much additional fat.
- Brown the halloumi
- Add the halloumi in a single layer.
- Cook without moving for approximately 1½–2 minutes.
- Once deeply golden underneath, turn and cook the second side for another 1–2 minutes.
- Remove from the heat as soon as both sides are browned.
- Don’t continue cooking it while waiting for everything else.
- Add lemon to the grapes
- Remove the roasted grapes from the oven.
- Discard the woody thyme stems.
- Add 1 tbsp lemon juice and gently toss the grapes through their roasting juices.
- The lemon should balance the concentrated sweetness rather than make the grapes taste sharply acidic.
- Assemble
- Arrange the hot halloumi over a serving plate.
- Spoon the roasted grapes around and partially over the cheese.
- Make sure to spoon over the juices remaining on the baking tray as well.
- Finish
- Scatter over:
- Lemon zest
- Fresh thyme leaves
- Freshly cracked black pepper
- Finish with a very small drizzle of extra virgin olive oil if you think it needs it.
- Serve immediately while the halloumi is still hot.
Private Notes
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!More recipes to try
Ingredient guides for this recipe
Cooked this recipe?
Sign in to post a short comment and photo as proof of your cook. Your contribution will be public on this recipe.
Sign in to add your cook
Leave a Reply