Salads
Balsamic strawberry, cucumber & halloumi salad
Strawberries are undoubtably best enjoyed fresh with cream, however they are also the perfect ingredient for salads that demand a little sweetness. Marinating strawberries in balsamic vinegar balances the sweetness and creates a slightly sharp, tangy flavour that goes fantastically with halloumi and fresh cucumber. Fresh herbs and toasted pine nuts finish this summer salad off.
Cook's notes
This recipe uses halloumi but works equally well with torn burrata or grilled goat’s cheese.
Ingredients
- 100g strawberries
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 150g halloumi
- 20g pine nuts
- 1 cucumber
- 10g basil
- 10g mint
- olive oil
- dried chilli flakes (optional)
Method
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Step 1
Slice the strawberries into discs, then transfer to a bowl and pour in the vinegar. Store in the fridge while you continue.
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Step 2
Heat a griddle (or frying) pan. Slice the halloumi. Once the pan is hot, slightly char the halloumi on both sides until dark lines appear, being careful not to cook it too long, or it will burn or fall apart.
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Step 3
In a dry frying pan, toast the pine nuts until they have browned a little.
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Step 4
Use a vegetable peeler to peel the cucumber into ribbons. Finely slice the herbs.
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Step 5
On a plate, gently arrange the cucumber ribbons, top with halloumi and scatter over the strawberries, keeping the balsamic vinegar in the bowl.
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Step 6
Add approximately twice the amount of olive oil to the balsamic vinegar, whisk with a fork and then pour over the salad. Sprinkle with the herbs, a pinch of sea salt, the toasted pine nuts and chilli flakes, if using.