This nectarine and haloumi salad is outdoor cooking at it’s simplest and best using only your barbecue. Perfect for midweek while easing back into the work life routine, it makes little demands other than top notch ingredients. This means selecting fruit that is ripe but not soft. Soft fruit will disintegrate on the grill, where you would like the fruit to hold its body and shape. Nectarines are divine at the moment, juicy and full of flavour. Plums, apricots or peaches would also be a delicious replacement – use what looks best when you’re grocery shopping.
Then there is the haloumi, or ‘squeaky cheese’ as it’s affectionately known in our home. We have learnt, through many trial and error, that barbecuing haloumi requires a little knack. Chunks, big chunks, are less likely to melt and cause issues on the grill. Certain brands also seem to hold up to the barbecue heat much better than others. We adore Over the Moon‘s haloumi, it’s big on flavour and holds it’s shape while grilling well. Award-winning, it is made with high quality cows milk for superior texture. Alternatively, we use the Axelos brand which is available from our local PAK’nSAVE.
And lastly, the dressing. I like to keep it to a simple vinigrette as there are enough big, bold flavours in this salad. We have sherry vinegar in our cupboards and I adore it’s nutty, slightly sweet flavour. It is much less acidic than other vinegars resulting in a smooth, delicious dressing. Not everyone has sherry vinegar in their pantry, so please substitute it with a good quality red wine vinegar – the Delmaine brand is delicious. I serve this nectarine and haloumi salad alongside beautiful barbecued steak or fresh grilled fish. Feel free to serve this as a stand-alone dish for a vegetarian main meal by doubling the haloumi. Meatless Monday’s never looked so good.
