Tossing big wedges of golden halloumi in a glossy, sticky honey harissa sauce is my idea of heaven. It takes less than 15 minutes to make so is perfect for when you want something fast. Sweet honey + salty halloumi cheese + spicy harissa = sensational.
This really is one of my all-time favourite quick dishes. It always impresses, is seriously DELICIOUS and scales easily. Serve it with a crunchy salad, piled on top of hummus, as part of a cheese board, with fresh bread (no knead chilli cheese focaccia, rosemary parmesan bread or soft garlic flatbreads are fab), or crackers (pita chips or sourdough crackers are great) or just by itself as the perfect bite with a glass of wine.
It’s also one of the best appetizers to make for a party – it’s quick, super easy and a crowd favourite. You could chop the halloumi into smaller squares and serve them with toothpicks to make lovely bite-sized party snacks!
Ingredients
This recipe uses minimal ingredients and they’re all easy to pick up at the grocery store if you don’t already have them in your cupboard.
- Halloumi. This recipe uses a whole block of halloumi to keep things simple. It’s easy to scale it as well, so if you want more than two servings (this is a wonderful dish for entertaining as part of a cheese board) you can just add more halloumi blocks!
- Harissa paste. This is a North African chilli paste made from (you guessed it) lots of chilli, spices like cumin, coriander and paprika along with garlic. There are many different brands and varieties of harissa out there, so before you start the recipe I’d recommend checking how spicy yours is (some brands are very hot whereas others are a lot milder). If you’ve got a very hot harissa, reduce the amount to 1.5 or 1 tablespoon in the sauce. In the UK, like the rose harissa paste from Belazu – the subtle hint of rose is beautiful against the spice of the chilli and it’s not too hot.
- Honey. This brings the lovely sweetness that works perfectly with the salty halloumi and spicy harissa. You could also use maple syrup, golden syrup or agave.
- Lime juice. The recipe uses the juice of half a lime, but you could also use bottled lime juice if that’s easier. And you can use the other half of the lime in a gin and tonic to serve alongside the halloumi!
How to make it
Pat your halloumi dry so that it crisps up better in the pan and cut it in half, using the natural fold of the halloumi to guide you. Then cut the halloumi into large triangles by cutting the halves diagonally.
Mix your honey and harissa sauce. Add the harissa, honey and lime juice into a small bowl and give it a good, vigorous stir. Add a little olive oil to a pan, then add your halloumi triangles and cook for 4 minutes on each side, until golden. All that’s left is to toss the halloumi in the honey harissa sauce then plate up with some curly spring onions and a little sprinkle of dukkah. It really is just so good and that sauce is next-level glossy and delicious.
Got a question?
You could use another spicy paste or sauce, like sriracha or chilli flakes. I’d add 1 tablespoon of chilli flakes and 2 tablespoons of sriracha.
Can I make this recipe in advance?
You can prepare everything in advance so you’re ready to cook and serve – you can cut the halloumi and store it in the fridge a few days in advance, and you could mix the sauce up to a week ahead of time. You can also prepare the curly scallions a day before if you need to. I would recommend cooking and eating the halloumi when you cook it though, as halloumi can get a bit hard and chewy the longer it sits.
What can I use instead of honey?
You could use maple syrup or agave syrup instead of honey in this recipe and it will still work wonderfully.
Could I cook the halloumi on the BBQ?
You certainly could! Just keep an eye on them as they cook as the heat of a BBQ is more unpredictable than on the stovetop so they may take less (or more) time depending on how hot your BBQ is. In this case, you could either heat the honey harissa sauce in the microwave for 30 seconds and then pour it over the BBQ’ed halloumi on a serving plate, or mix it with the halloumi in a separate bowl once the halloumi is grilled.
Three ways to enjoy the halloumi
- Pile on top of easy, soft garlic flatbreads and use them to mop up the honey sauce
- Serve with lamb koftas for a Middle Eastern-inspired feast
- Keep things fresh and vegetarian by pairing them with a crunchy green goddess salad.
It’s also a great dish for entertaining because it comes together very quickly and really, who doesn’t like halloumi? You could even cut the halloumi into smaller, bite-sized pieces to serve as party snacks (this would cook even quicker!)
Like this recipe? Here are some other halloumi recipes you might enjoy
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear from you! You can leave me a comment below.
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Honey and Harissa Glazed Halloumi
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Tossing big wedges of golden halloumi in a glossy, sticky honey harissa sauce is honestly my idea of heaven. PLUS, it takes less than 15 minutes to pull together so it’s perfect for when you want something fast. Sweet honey + salty halloumi + spicy harissa = sensational.
Serve this with a crunchy salad, piled on top of hummus, as part of a cheese board, with fresh bread (try it with focaccia, rosemary parmesan bread or flatbreads), crackers (pita chips or sourdough crackers are great) or just by itself as the perfect bite with a glass of wine.
Ingredients
For the halloumi –
- 2 tablespoons harissa paste
- 2 tablespoons honey
- Juice of half a lime
- 1 teaspoons salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 packet halloumi cheese (roughly 225g/8oz)
To garnish –
- 1 scallion (spring onion), finely sliced lengthways
- 1 tablespoon dukkah
Instructions
- Make the honey harissa sauce. In a small bowl, combine the 2 tablespoons of harissa, 2 tablespoons of honey and the juice of half a lime with 1 teaspoon of salt. Stir vigorously with a spoon to combine, then set aside. Pop the long spring onion strips into a bowl of cold water so they curl up for your garnish.
- Chop your halloumi. Pat your halloumi dry with a paper towel. Find the natural fold in your halloumi, then cut down, using it to guide you to cut the block in half. Cut each half diagonally to create 4 large triangles.
- Cook the halloumi. Get a small frying pan over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the halloumi triangles and cook for 5 minutes or until golden on one side. Flip the halloumi over and cook for 3 minutes more, until golden on the other side, then remove from the pan.
- Mix with the sauce. Add the honey harissa sauce to the pan, still over medium heat and stir as it starts bubbling up. Add the halloumi back into the pan, then toss and flip the pieces around to ensure they’re well coated in the glossy sauce.
- Garnish and serve. Transfer the halloumi to a serving plate (making sure to get all that lovely sauce out of the pan and onto the plate), top with the curly spring onion and then sprinkle over 1 tablespoon of dukkah. Serve straight away and enjoy!
Notes
INGREDIENT NOTES: Replace the honey with maple syrup, golden syrup or agave syrup if you like. If you can’t find harissa paste, use another chilli sauce (like sriracha). I’m using fresh lime juice, but you could use bottled.
MAKE AHEAD: This dish is best eaten straight away as halloumi can get chewy and hard if it’s cooked in advance, but you can prepare everything ahead of time and then just cook the halloumi when you’re ready to go.
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 10
- Category: vegetarian
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: mediterranean
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 pieces
I have made this a few times now and it’s so easy and tastes so good!!
★★★★★
Ahhh isn’t it just so great?! It’s such a favourite 🙂