Grilled Persimmon + Halloumi Salad

Adding fruit to salads is a new thing to me, and so far I’ve been loving it! Loving the unexpected sweetness it brings to a savoury dish, and how it just balances out something that could otherwise be too savoury or salty.

Especially when playing around with a cheese like halloumi.

Halloumi is actually one of my favourite cheeses. Eaten raw it’s overly salty and bland, but when grilled or pan-fried, it becomes deliciously crispy on the outside and soft and melty on the inside. It’s just awesome, and unlike any other cheese really.

This salad just has a lot going on. It’s herby, salty, and sweet, but it never feels like too much as all the flavours are working beautifully together so that nothing is overpowering or too intense.

By cooking the persimmon it becomes incredibly soft and brings out its natural sweetness, and the lemony and tangy flavour of the sumac ties it perfectly with salad. Mmmnmm. Then we’ve got the yummy salty-ness of the halloumi and the capers, which goes beautifully with the sweetness of the persimmon and the honey in the dressing.

Have I convinced you to make this yet?

Now, salad dressings can make or break a salad. Luckily, I just love this salad dressing. It’s now my go-to as it’s just so versatile and all the flavours are so well balanced, from the salty capers to the strong mustard to the amazing dill and the sweet honey. It’s just so easy to throw together and it really makes a salad come alive!

So I’ve used a few spices in this recipe. Sumac and zaatar might not be your common spices, but they bring such excitement and flavour to this salad. They’re herby, tangy, and lemony, so if you can’t get your hands on them simply sub for some lemon zest and thyme, but I definitely recommend getting them. You won’t regret it.