Watermelon with halloumi and lime-pickled red onions

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This psychedelic salad is exactly what you need on a hot summer's day. Crisp refreshing watermelon, beautifully charred halloumi and tangy pickled onions come together on the plate, finished off with a final extra crunch from the pistachios. Recipe taken from Charred by Genevieve Taylor (Hardie Grant, £16.99). Photography by Jason Ingram.

First published in 2019

OK, I’ll admit that no actual vegetables were grilled in the making of this salad but I hope you agree it is worthy of inclusion. And, after all, grilled halloumi with almost anything is very much worth eating. You can grill watermelon (useful to know if your melon is a little underripe), but I do prefer its texture when eaten raw.

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Method

1
Put the onion in a small bowl with the lime zest, juice and the sugar, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Set aside for about 30 minutes while you prepare the rest of the salad. Cut the watermelon into 1cm-thick wedges, trimming off the rind as you go. Spread over a large platter
2
Fire up your barbecue ready for direct grilling, or heat up a griddle pan on the hob
3
Drizzle a little of the oil over the halloumi (save the rest for the salad), then place directly over the heat on the grill bars (or in the griddle pan). Cook for 2–3 minutes, until seared, then turn over with a fish slice and cook the other side. Once the halloumi is cooked, cut each slice in half on the diagonal and scatter over the watermelon
4
Sprinkle over the coriander, mint and pickled onion slices, drizzling over the lime juice from the bowl too. Scatter the chopped pistachios over the salad
5
Finish with a generous drizzle of olive oil and a grind of salt and pepper and serve immediately, while the halloumi is still warm
First published in 2019

Genevieve is a food writer, food stylist, presenter and cookbook author.

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