It's seventy years since fattoush entered the Oxford English Dictionary, but this underappreciated salad still deserves greater prominence in our table repertoires, especially when paired with ingredients from across the waves. Deriving from the Arabic 'fatt', meaning to crush, the addition of the Turkic suffix -ūsh, exemplifies the way this recipe has constantly evolved. Halloumi adds bass notes to this ancient recipe that varies across the Levantine region.
The quantities below are very much a guide and can be altered to suit your taste, although I would recommend using one pitta per person if, like me, you intend to serve this as a Summer's day main course. Soaking the halloumi in hot water ensures it stays squidgy after cooking (and any saltiness lost in the soaking is made up for by the sharp dressing). A quick pickling of the onion and radish not only transforms them into a sublimely deep shade of pink, but also mellows the bite of raw onion whilst adding tang.
Halloumi fattoush salad
Prep 45 mins (at a leisurely pace)
Cook 15 mins
Serves 4 as a main or 6-8 as a side.
Suitable for vegetarians.
For the salad:
225g block halloumi
1 medium red onion
100g radishes
200ml red wine vinegar
125g cherry tomatoes
400g romaine lettuce
4 spring onions
1 cucumber
15g fresh mint
15g fresh flat leaf parsley
4 pitta breads
1 tbsp olive oil (or another oil of your choosing)
For the dressing:
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp pomegranate molasses (balsamic glaze or honey also work well)
1 heaped tsp sumac
½ tsp garlic puree or 1 minced garlic clove.
1 tsp sea salt flakes (or ½ tsp fine flowing salt)
Good grinding of black pepper
Slice the halloumi into thin strips, place in a heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave for approximately 10 minutes.
Slice the red onion into two halves, and then slice each into thin half moons, and slice the radishes (discarding the roots) into thin discs. Place into a large shallow bowl, taking care to separate both the onion and radishes from their adjacent slices. Pour over the red wine vinegar and stir to ensure everything is coated or submerged. Leave to one side.
Tear each pitta, along the edges, into two thin halves. Then tear each half into bite-sized pieces and coat in 1 tbsp oil. Toast in a 180°C oven for 10 minutes, or roughly six minutes in an air fryer (flipping halfway through). Then set aside to cool.
Chop the lettuce, finely slice the spring onions and quarter the cherry tomatoes. Place into a large bowl (or anything large enough for tossing all the ingredients).
Slice the cucumber, lengthways, into two and, using a teaspoon, scoop out the watery seeds to discard them. Finely slice the cucumber on the diagonal and add to the salad.
Place a non-stick frying pan on a medium heat and, using tongs, remove the halloumi from the water and place into the pan. Fry for a couple of minutes until golden and flip to repeat on the other side. Place the halloumi on a plate to cool.
Place the dressing ingredients into a bowl and stir until it is emulsified.
Finely chop the mint and parsley. Add roughly three-quarters of it to the salad.
Drain the onions and radishes through a sieve and add roughly three-quarters to the salad, saving the rest for garnishing later.
Add the halloumi, pitta and dressing to the lettuce and mix well (either with your hands or a spatula).
Tip the salad either onto a large sharing platter or four individual serving plates. Top with the remaining onions & radishes, and finally the remaining mint & parsley.
Make-ahead note: To make up to 24 hours ahead:
Prep the lettuce, spring onions, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, mint & parsley, and halloumi (still allowing it to cool) and place together in a sealed container in the fridge. Make the onion and radish pickle and store in a sealed container in the fridge (to then drain through the sieve when assembling).
Make the dressing and store in a jar or sealed container in the fridge (do not add to the salad until assembling to prevent everything from going soggy).
Toast the pitta shards and, one cooled, store in a ziplock bag or sealed container in a cupboard.
