Halloumi & Prawn Salad

The combination of the spicy garlic-chilli oil,

the sweet honey, the sour lemon prawns

and crunch of the salad onion

make this a fantastically rounded dish.

The next time I make this, I will substitute half the prawns for scallops.

This really is a terrific lunch or light summer dinner!

INGREDINTS (3 as a Main Meal)

1 Block of Halloumi Cheese, halved horizontally
3 Tbsps Garlic-Chilli Infused Olive Oil*
1 Large, Long Green Chilli (this should be more sweet than hot in flavour)
1 Tbsp Honey
100g Baby Rocket
24 Green King Prawns, peeled and deveined
1/2 Salad Onion, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp Lemon Juice
2 Tbsps Olive Oil
Sea Salt & Freshly Ground Pepper, to taste



METHOD

Place the prawns, lemon juice and plain olive oil in a dish, and toss to combine.

Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. But no longer than 4 hours.

Place the halloumi on a plate, and drizzle over 1 Tbsp of the garlic-chilli oil. Gently rub the cheese pieces together, until they are coated in oil. Let stand while you prepare the green chilli.

Meanwhile, put the green chilli on the grill, and cook turning frequently, until well charred. Allow the chilli to cool, remove stem and seeds, and finely dice.

Heat a grill or heavy based fry pan on a high heat. Using a spatula, transfer both cheese pieces to the pan and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Flip both pieces, and cook the other side for a further 3 to 4 minutes.

Transfer the cheese to a cutting board, allow to cool slightly. Cut into thin strips.

Return the pan to the heat and add the prawns and fry for 1-2 minutes, or until the prawns turn pink and are cooked through.

In a small jar, mix together the remaining garlic-chilli oil and honey. Mix until the honey dissolves. Season the dressing with salt and pepper, and add the finely diced green chilli.

To serve:
Place a small pile of rocket on each plate. Scatter with thinly sliced salad onion.

Next arrange the cheese strips on top of the rocket, then place the prawns on top.

Drizzle the dressing over each salad, and serve immediately.


*To Make Garlic-Chilli Oil

Ingredients
1 Head of Garlic
1 Tbsp Red Chilli Flakes
1 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 120ml Glass Bottle with Cork or Lid

Method
Peel the garlic by breaking each clove with the side of a wide knife. You want to break the cloves, not smash them. Remove the peel and cut off the stem end of each clove.

Slice cloves in half, and drop them all into your glass bottle. Set aside.

In a sauce pan, heat olive oil until a few small bubbles start forming .
If your oil starts smoking, take it off the stove and allow it to cool for 10 minutes.

Carefully pour warm oil into the bottle over garlic cloves. I use a heat resistant funnel. Don’t overfill.

Cork the bottle and store in the refrigerator.
Your oil will get cloudy and congeal in the fridge, but if you bring the bottle out before you start cooking and allow it to reach room temp again, it should become clear and liquid again.