Chef's 5 Steps to Perfectly Grilled Halloumi.

Halloumi, a Cypriot firm, brined, slightly springy white cheese. Traditionally made from a mixture of goat and sheep's milk, it's texture, that of mozzarella or thick feta, it's taste salty and strong.

Here at The Gourmet Greek we strive to deliver only the best in artisan cheeses, giving you the absolute purest and tastiest form of all our products!

Halloumi has it's origin from the Greek island of Cyprus, where it was traditionally made from goat or sheep's milk as there were very little cows on the island of Cyprus. Here at The Gourmet Greek, however, we have plenty of cows roaming about in the midlands, making it possible to produce our Halloumi using only cow's milk! This is what gives our Halloumi it's rich, creamy flavour!

It is very distinct of Halloumi cheese to be very salty as it is brined! At The Gourmet Greek we do not brine our Halloumi but rather hand salt it and then vacuum pack the pieces so that you can add salt as you please, making it salty but not too salty! Vacuum packing it helps to preserve the delicious flavour within the Halloumi and make it just right for you to take out, salt and use in the dish of your choice!

Cypriots are known to eat their Halloumi raw, without being fried in order to preserve the squeaky and rubbery texture, however here at The Gourmet Greek, we eat it a little bit differently... Having a high melting point it makes it much easier for Halloumi to be pan fried or grilled, this is why we love to serve our Halloumi as either Deep Fried Halloumi Fries or Grilled with fresh lemon and served with tzatski sauce!

That is why we've asked our chef for his 5 tips on grilling the perfect Halloumi, every time!

1. First things first. When you grill your Halloumi it is extremely important to make sure that your Halloumi is the perfect size. If it is too thin, you will end up with a crispy, hollow piece, so, what you would like is a size that allows for a crispy outside with a marshmallowy center! The perfect size to aim for is a Halloumi finger that is at least 1 cm thick!

2. The next step is to always make sure that you pan is hot! A griddle pan works the best to grill your Halloumi as it will give it a perfect griddled look!

3. To grill your Hallloumi you need a table spoon of olive oil, or any other good quality oil, place it on the pan and get ready to grill some Halloumi!

Tip: if you do not have any oil you can always use butter to grill your Halloumi in (you can never use too much butter!)

4. Now comes the fun part, once your pan is hot and oiled, you can now place you Halloumi fingers on the pan and start grilling! Grill each side for about three minutes or until they are golden brown.

5. Last step, and certainly the most delicious step! Take your Halloumi out of the pan and serve it with a lemon/lime wedge alongside tzatski sauce!

And there you have it! Warm, salty, chewy-hard cheese perfect for all kinds of uses!

Make sure to get some of our Halloumi cheese (available in mint, chilli, garlic, smoked or plain) for your next meal!

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