This sensational summer salad from the RACV Club kitchen combines sweet seasonal fruit, tangy halloumi and peppery watercress. Club Members can try it at home, or dine in Bistro at City Club, where this popular menu item is served.
Sweet, versatile and visually appealing, stone fruits are a wonderful ingredient to add to a gourmet summer salad.
Club Chef de Cuisine Shahid Siddiqui, who oversees the Bistro at City Club, says there are so many reasons to make the most of peaches, nectarines, plums are apricots when they’re in season.
“Naturally harvested fruits have a superior nutritional value, and they are much more delectable,” he says. “Furthermore, by using local seasonal produce we are also supporting our farmers.”
This salad recipe combines different stone fruits with halloumi, watercress, balsamic vinegar, olive oil and pine nuts. You can also add a pinch of sumac, which is a Middle Eastern spice that has a tangy lemony flavour.
“The sweetness of the fruits is balanced with the pungent flavour of watercress, while the balsamic vinegar and sumac adds a mellow tartness to the dish,” Shahid says. “The halloumi and the pine nuts add richness to the salad and make it more sumptuous. “
He says halloumi salad is one of Bistro’s most popular menu items, and it's available for both lunch and dinner at the City Club venue.
“The halloumi that we use in this dish is a buffalo halloumi, which has a softer and silkier texture,” Shahid says. He suggests cutting the halloumi into 0.5mm thick slices, and grilling the pieces just before serving the salad. “This way the halloumi will be warm, soft and palatable.”
