We recently moved to Ojai where the weather is a bit warmer in the summer! Even at the beach in Carpinteria, I could eat this salad ALL summer long. It’s crisp, hydrating and so refreshing. It’s sweet from the juicy watermelon, salty from the cheese, minty and peppery from the arugula… trust me, this combination is a summer staple! I know we can’t entertain these days, but it gets us excited about eating in the backyard.
We will be eating this salad all summer long! It’s hydrating, crisp, refreshing and you have those chewy salty cheese “croutons”. It’s great for entertaining because you can assemble the salad a few hours prior, then sear or grill the halloumi and you’re all set!
Here are our ingredients! We have a handful of fresh mint, a few tablespoons of chopped chives, about 2 cups of arugula, approximately 3 tablespoons of quality olive oil, 1 shallot, 1 block of halloumi cheese, 1 cucumber, 1 lime and of course, watermelon!
Instead of making a dressing, I squeezed some fresh squeezed lime juice over the top and drizzled some olive oil, salt and pepper. The ingredients are all so flavorful you don’t need anything else! You could pickle the shallot for a little extra kick… I think the vinegar would pair well with the watermelon actually!
What I love about this recipe is that it comes together so easily and you can prep it ahead of time in the morning then assemble right before serving. In the morning I diced my watermelon and set that aside in a sealed container in the fridge. Then I added all other ingredients except for the lime and olive oil into a separate container. You could combine all ingredients about 3 hours in advance but I personally wouldn’t do any longer.
The last step is to sear or grill the halloumi right before serving. I like it to be slightly warm on top of the cold crisp salad. Halloumi is a sheep’s milk cheese that has a very high melting point so you can throw it on the grill or sear it without it melting, fun right?! You get this crispy outer layer and almost chewy inside after grilling it… it’s amazing. It’s almost like a cheese crouton but it’s gluten free. The saltiness from this cheese pairs so well with the fresh herbs (mint especially) and the sweet watermelon. You could also use a feta or even goat cheese but I love the fact that you can get that crispy outer layer by searing on the stove or grilling. it’s fairly mild, don’t be intimidated if you haven’t tried it!
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 Watermelon (depending on the size)
1 cucumber
1 lime (juiced)
2 cups baby arugula
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons diced chives
1/4 fresh mint
1 cube halloumi cheese
Recipe by Alyssa Potter
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