This Crispy Fried Halloumi recipe has been shared in memory of Isabella, Coriander Queen.
A tribute
People blog for all sorts of different reasons. I started mine back in April 2011 as a distraction from university life and in a bid to find like minded people. When I started writing and sharing my creations it definitely felt like I was talking to a brick wall. But now I'm part of a huge community and I've made a huge amount of friends in the process. They are a fantastic support network and I never could have imagined how close I would become to people sat behind another computer screen, some hundreds of miles away.
That's why when we heard the news that the Isabella of Coriander Queen had tragically passed away, I was deeply sad. She had become a close friend to so many and was an asset to our community. She was kind and funny, and will be remembered fondly by so many of us. That's why, a group of us have decided that in memory of Isabella we will each re-create one of the recipes from her site. If you want to see the recipes shared by the other bloggers scroll down to the end of this post where you can find everyone taking part. But, please do also make sure you check out the Coriander Queen blog. Her photos were stunning, and her writing heart warming and witty! She will definitely be missed.
Why is halloumi so popular?
Trying to pick a favourite recipe from Coriander Queen wasn't an easy task. Isabella's recipes were always delicious morsels and so I knew I'd like every one that I tried. But, when I stumbled across this cracking joke I couldn't help but smile and I knew this recipe was the one.
What did the cheese say when it looked at its reflection in the mirror? Hallou - mi!
I told you she had a great sense of humour!
Isabella loved this "squeaky cheese" because it is so versitile. She rightly points out that you can grill it, kebab it, add it to salads, or fry it as we have done in this recipe. We often have our fried halloumi as part of a meze with tabbouleh, three bean salad and baba ghanoush but this week we popped it in wraps with lots of rich and creamy avocado, fresh spinach leaves, cherry tomatoes and a healthy drizzle of tahini. Though, you could of course enjoy this with a drizzle of honey and a big glass of wine as Isabella suggested in her original post.
Because halloumi cheese is so salty, however you serve it, I'd stick to something sweet or creamy to help balance the flavours.
Isabella isn't the only person who loved halloumi. Halloumi has taken the UK by storm and is now incredibly popular appearing on pub menus across the country as the go to vegetarian option. And I'm certainly not complaining!
How to "bread" halloumi
Unfortunately as tasty as this recipe is it is also very messy! The process of "breading" the halloumi is a lot of fun but will definitely leave you with sticky fingers. Well, you could probably avoid using your hands and do it all with spoons and spatulas but that's less fun.
Each slice of halloumi gets dipped in flour, coated in egg and then rolled around in panko breadcrumbs, herbs and ground black pepper. By the end of it my fingers were also covered! Fortunately I didn't mistake them for halloumi slices or the frying process would have ended badly...
If you're not used to shallow frying you may also find that the oil spits a little so you will probably need to clean down the hob afterwards! Using a deep fat fryer is possibly an alternative but makes what is otherwise a pretty quick process take too much time. (Plus more washing up!)
Anyway, enough about my sticky fingers, it's time for the recipe.
The recipe
Crispy Fried Halloumi
Ingredients
- 250 g halloumi cheese
- 20 g plain flour
- 50 g panko breadcrumbs
- 1 teaspoon oregano dried
- 1 pinch ground black pepper
- 1 egg
- 300 ml oil sunflower, vegetable or olive
Instructions
- Cut your halloumi into slices roughly 1cm thick.
- Pour the flour onto a plate, add the halloumi slices and toss until well coated.
- Tip the panko breadcrumbs onto another plate and mix with the dried herbs and the black pepper.
- Whisk the egg well and pour into a shallow dish.
- Add the floured halloumi a slice at a time and coat with the egg before immediately placing into the panko breadcrumb mixture.
- Place each pank crumb coated halloumi slice on to a clean plate until ready to fry.
- Pour the oil into a small frying pan and heat on a medium heat.
- Test the oil by adding a crust of bread, if it froths and bubbles and the bread turns golden in 30 secs it is ready.
- Add the slices of halloumi, frying them in small batches of two or three at a time.
- Fry for about 30 seconds to 1 minute on each side, or until golden brown and the breadcrumbs are crisp.
- Place some kitchen roll onto a plate, and using a slotted spoon or fish slice gently lift out the fried cheese slices and place on the kitchen roll to drain off some of the oil.
- Serve as soon as all the cheese has been fried.
Nutrition
These slices of crispy fried halloumi are seriously moreish. I made more than enough that we needed for dinner and found myself "testing" a few straight out of the pan, desperately trying to put out the fire on my tongue with a glass of white wine I'm sure Isabella would have loved.
Serve with...
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Margot says
Looks delicious, I don't make halloumi often enough. This is a lovely tribute to Isabella!
Emma Walton says
Thanks Margot - weve made this 3 times now since the sad news. Its fab!
Kavey at Kavey Eats says
There are few groups of friends I talk to as often as our little community. Lovely post, we will miss her.
Emma Walton says
Thanks Kavey - we will miss her lots xx
Choclette says
Lovely post and what a delicious recipe you picked. I think I might have to get messy with some hallou - mi!
Emma Walton says
🙂 you make me smile! We made this again tonight. Well worth the sticky fingers!
Nayna Kanabar says
The Halloumi looks delicious and really crispy. Beautiful Tribute.
Emma Walton says
Thanks Naynar. A coincidence but we ended up making this recipe again tonight. Its been wonderful reading all the other tributes too
Lucy says
All Izzie's recipes were such classics, I really love the crispy halloumi and you've done it great justice x
Emma Walton says
They were weren't they! I know its been for sad reasons but its been heartwarming seeing everone come together in memory of Izzie and sharing all of her wonderful recipes!
Ceri Jones says
Lovely post Emma, you've highlighted some lovely things about Izzie, and great to add a sense of humour in too. I adore halloumi also, look forward to making this soon too 🙂
Emma Walton says
Thanks Ceri. She had a fantastic sense of humour!!!
Janice says
I love that you found a post with a joke! We do have a lot of fun with our blogging friends, it's a great community and a little poorer for the loss of Izzie. I don't often cook with halloumi, but I do fancy trying this recipe if I can face the mess!
Camilla Hawkins says
Love Isabella's joke and so pleased you didn't fry your fingers. These crispy fried halloumi look gorgeous, another recipe I must try!
swayam says
YUm!!! This looks amazing. Fried halloumi?? I am there!!
Jacqueline Meldrum says
So sad, but lovely that you are paying such a nice tribute with this mouthwatering recipe. And when I say mouthwatering, I am not exaggerating when I say I am drooling over the keyboard.
Alyssa says
The Greek culture has something similar that I just love, it's feta cheese wrapped in phyllo, baked then drizzled with honey and sesame seeds. Your Halloumi looks just as delicious and might make a good switch-up to my usual Greek Baked Feta appetizer!
Emma Walton says
Oh wow that sounds delicious. What is it called?! Can't say I've ever tried that before 🙂
Platter Talk says
I'm sure that every time that you make this delicious recipe, you will think of her! Lovely.
Thanh | Eat, Little Bird says
I adore fried halloumi, but I have never tried "crispy" fried halloumi - I feel like I have been missing out! Can't wait to try this recipe. And what a wonderful way to honour the memory of someone you knew 🙂
Madi says
Hello this looks amazing cant wait to try
how long in advance can i coat the halloumi in the egg and flour mix ?
as im making for friends want to cut the time it takes prep and cooking
thank you
Madi
Emma Walton says
Hi Madi
I'm afraid I'd avoid making this in advance - the moisture from the egg would make the panko breadcrumbs start to go soft.
The good news is it's not too long a process. It's also quite fun! Why not get your friends a little messy and ask them to breadcrumb their own pieces of halloumi?
ETHER says
is there a way to receive notifications for new recipes ?? Thanks for the recipe and photos
ETHER says
Hi emma, I'm looking everywhere delicious recipes I'm lucky to find yours