A couple of weeks ago, I went to a works party and the caterers there were serving Halloumi Fries.  Not surprisingly, they went down a storm and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about them! I have eaten my fair share of grilled halloumi, but this was something different!

This is a really quick, throw together salad, perfect for summer drinks and great as a side for a BBQ.  It took me about 15 minutes to put everything together.

This dish is a real taste sensation, the saltiness of the halloumi fries balances perfectly with the sweetness of the strawberries and the tanginess of the balsamic vinegar.  All popped on a base of peppery rocket.  The perfect indulgent summery salad!

Seves 2 as a healthy lunch

• 250g halloumi
• juice of 1 lemon
• cracked black pepper
• olive oil (around 300ml)
• salt
• caster sugar
• 200g strawberries
• 1 yellow pepper
• 250g rocket
• balsamic vinegar

Slice the block of halloumi in half, then cut into chips, about 1cm thick.  You should end up with 8 halloumi fries. Pop them into a bowl, squeeze over half of the lemon juice and a good amount of black pepper.  Combine gently and pop to one side.

In a large bowl, put in a small slug of olive oil, and a pinch of salt, pepper, caster sugar and the juice of the other half of the lemon.  Cut the tops off of the strawberries and thinly slice.  Slice the pepper into thin strips. Add the strawberries and pepper to the bowl with the oil mixture and gently combine.

Heat the rest of the oil in a large frying pan of a high heat.  Let it get super hot (be careful!), then gently place the halloumi fries into the oil.  They will brown very quickly so keep your eye on them.  One one side is brown, gently turn them over and brown the other side.  They shouldn’t take more than a couple of minutes to cook if the oil is hot enough.  Once done, pop them on some kitchen paper and take the oil off the heat.

Add the pocket to the strawberries and pepper and combine well.  Pop on a plate and top with the halloumi fries. Drizzle over a little balsamic vinegar and serve with a big glass of something cold and bubbly.

Cheesy heaven!