This Mediterranean salad loaded with all the yummy stuff like cherry tomatoes, crunchy cucumbers, chargrilled artichokes, creamy hummus and fried halloumi. A salad that is a meal!
If you like this salad but prefer adding a healthy protein, check out my Spanish Baked Chicken Thighs.
With the coming of lovely summer months, all I want to eat is a giant salad with some sort of protein on the side. Plus the less time I spend in the kitchen when it’s hot out the better!
This Mediterranean salad is our go-to salad when we want something lighter for dinner. It still has heaps of flavour and doesn’t leave you hungry again an hour later!
Adding protein
Some days we eat it as is, some days we add grilled chicken or steak. But to be honest with you, the meat is really NOT necessary.
Creamy hummus and savoury fried halloumi do the job brilliantly on their own to satisfy the biggest of cravings!
In this particular version of “our favourite Mediterranean salad” I added chargrilled artichokes that I bought in the deli section of my supermarket. I also added thinly sliced purple radishes for extra crunch and colour.
Salad dressing
I lightly drizzled my salad with a vibrant and zesty lemon garlic and oregano dressing. That flavour combination felt like a solid salad dressing. It’s so delicious you will want to put it on everything!!
We started eating this salad when we went on a low carb diet a couple of years ago. We needed nutritious options that would satisfy our cravings and wouldn’t take a lot of time or elaborate cooking.
So we would grill a chicken breast and throw it on top of this salad. We found that adding hummus made it especially delicious and more satisfying, so it stuck!
You can make your own as I did here or buy it in the supermarket. Either options works!
Cooking halloumi cheese
Now let me talk about fried halloumi. There is probably not a lot of cheese that I love more than this salty, squeaky wonder.
If you are a fan of feta in your salad, you might want to change it up and give fried halloumi a chance because it is revelatory.
Or you can grill it!I know some people like eating halloumi uncooked but I think it’s one of the few cheeses that benefits greatly from being grilled or fried.
The craziest thing is how much the texture changes after it’s been fried! It becomes crunchy on the outside and creamy and slightly oozy on the inside. Frying also brings out halloumi’s beautiful scent. It smells of butter!
More summer salad recipes
- Middle Eastern Salad Bowl
- Falafel Salad Bowl
- Thai Grilled Chicken Salad
- Summer Picnic Couscous Salad with Feta
Mediterranean Salad with Hummus and Fried Halloumi
Ingredients
For the hummus
- 480 g /2 cups chickpeas canned
- 3 tsp cumin
- 2 cloves garlic
- 60 ml / ¼ cup water
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 lemon juice only
- 60 ml / ¼ cup tahini
- 60 ml / ¼ cup olive oil extra virgin
For the Mediterranean salad
- 230 g /8 oz Halloumi cheese sliced into 8 slices
- 60 g /2 cups mixed salad leaves
- 168 g /1 cup chargrilled artichokes from a deli
- 150 g /1 cup cherry tomatoes a mix of red and yellow, halved
- 45 g / ¼ cup Kalamata olives
- 4-5 Kirby cucumbers sliced
- 2-3 radishes sliced thinly, optional
For the lemon garlic and oregano dressing
- 3 tbsp lemon juice freshly squeezed
- 1 tsp whole grain mustard or Dijon mustard
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 120 ml / ½ cup olive oil extra virgin
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp salt
Instructions
For the hummus
- All all ingredients to the food processor and blend until smooth. Add more salt if needed.
For the salad
- Slice the halloumi into ¼ inch slices and fry on a non-stick frying pan over medium heat until golden on both sides. Set aside.
- In a large bowl combine all salad ingredients.
For the lemon, garlic and oregano dressing
- In a mason jar combine all ingredients, put the lid on and shake vigorously until well combined.
- Drizzle half of the dressing over the salad and reserve the rest for another use. Gently toss the salad with salad tongs until it’s coated with the dressing.
To serve the salad
- Divide evenly among plates or bowls and top with hummus and fried halloumi. Or serve on a giant platter and let everyone help themselves.
