Whole Grilled Halloumi with Apricots Recipe

Vegetarians coming to the barbecue? How about your gluten-free neighbor? Skip the beef and hamburger buns in favor of this whole grilled halloumi with apricots recipe from Georgina Hayden’s new cookbook, Greekish . It comes together in a flash with only five ingredients and is guaranteed to impress.

“While the flavor combination is a family standard,” Hayden writes, “I attribute using the whole block to my dear friend Iain, who would eat an entire block of halloumi in one sitting, because ‘it looked like a chicken breast.’ I thought, well, why can’t it be treated like a chicken breast or any other form of protein? Score, season and grill!”

Sweet, salty and savory, the cheesy appetizer would pair beautifully with olives, crostini or summer tomatoes . You can also spice things up by topping it with hot honey or crushed red pepper flakes.

^{Excerpted from Greekish: Everyday Recipes with Greek Roots . Used with the permission of the publisher, Bloomsbury. Copyright © 2024 by Georgina Hayden}

Tomato and Halloumi Salad Bowl with Farro and Basil

405 calories

32g fat

20g carbs

13g protein

16g sugars

One 250-gram piece (about 8 ounces) halloumi

Extra-virgin olive oil

4 apricots

2 tablespoons honey, for serving

Sprigs fresh oregano or thyme, for serving

1. Preheat your grill to medium-high. Using a paring knife or chef’s knife, carefully score the top of the halloumi in a criss-cross pattern. Don’t cut too deep; you want to keep it intact. Rub the cheese with olive oil, including between the cuts. Halve the apricots, remove the stones and halve them again into quarters. Place the halloumi in a snug dish (ideally metal) and nestle around the apricots, drizzling them with olive oil.

2. Place the dish under the grill (not too close) and grill until the fruit starts to caramelize and the halloumi is tender and charred on top, 8 to 10 minutes. The success of this recipe depends on having the right distance from the grill and heat, so check a few minutes into cooking and see if you need to raise the temperature or lower the grill rack. It’s quite a forgiving technique, so take your time and see what works with your grill. When the halloumi is ready, drizzle it with honey and scatter over the oregano or thyme. Serve immediately.