This is one of those salads that works as a meal and has lots of things to love in it. Crispy halloumi is so addicting. If you haven’t tried it yet, you can crisp it up in the oven or on the stove top and it adds such a nice cheesy, salty, crispy deliciousness to anything you add it to. Then you have garlic shrimp, which add protein and also are just good to eat.
For veggies, I used a mix of arugula and spinach for the salad base. This mix has great nutrition and also flavor and punch. I added some cucumbers and radishes for freshness and flavor and some avocado for a creamy note.
The dressing for this salad is the real star, and it is one I love to make for all kinds of salads. The combo of shallot and champagne vinegar is SO good.
Crispy Halloumi Salad with Garlic Shrimp and Shallot Vinaigrette
Ingredients
For the crispy halloumi:
- 1 block halloumi sliced thinly
- 1 tbsp olive oil
For the garlic shrimp:
- 1 lb frozen shrimp defrosted
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 3 tbsp butter or olive oil for cooking
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- salt and pepper
For the salad:
- 6 cups greens I used spinach and arugula
- 1 seedless cucumber thinly sliced
- 8 radishes thinly sliced
- 1 avocado cubed
- fresh herbs optional – you could use mint, chives, dill, or cilantro
- crispy halloumi
- garlic shrimp
For the dressing:
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/3 cup champagne vinegar
- juice of 1-2 lemons
- 2 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1 shallot finely minced
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 450 and line a baking sheet with parchment. Toss the halloumi and olive oil and bake 10-15 minutes until browned. Let sit to cool for a few minutes then remove from the sheet.
- For the dressing: Mix ingredients and shake well. Taste and add salt, pepper, lemon, honey and vinegar to adjust the flavor. For the shrimp: heat the butter or oil until very hot and add the drained shrimp. Cook, stirring often, until almost cooked then add the garlic, garlic powder, a little salt and some pepper. Toss and cook a minute or two more until shrimp is fully cooked. Set aside to cool slightly.
- Fill plates with mixed greens and add the crispy cheese, shrimp, radishes, avocado and cucumber. Drizzle with dressing and top with herbs if using and serve.