Inspiration for tonight’s meal again comes from NQN and my best friend (GC).

During the week, NQN posted about a green salad with broad beans, sugar snap peas, and asparagus. On the same day, GC wanted some ideas on using some halloumi.

I said I like the taste of halloumi, but the squeak on my teeth meant I didn’t eat much of it.

Salmon and green salad with halloumi and goat cheese

Ingredients

Salmon
Iodised salt
Green beans
Sugar snap peas
Mini asparagus
Halloumi
Goat cheese
Olive oil
Lime juice
Avocado
Pecan nuts
Ice

Instructions

Salmon

Heat the oven to about 200 °C.
Pat the surfaces of the salmon dry with absorbent kitchen paper.
Season the salmon with salt.
Cook the salmon in the oven for 15 minutes.
Allow the salmon to rest for a few minutes and then flake the salmon into pieces.

Salad

Boil some salted water in a saucepan.
Cook the green beans in the water for about four minutes and then plunge them into iced water (Note, I haven’t removed the ends of the beans. I know it’s traditional to do this and I remember it was a job Mum would give me as a kid when I’d help her cook dinner. The reason why I don’t do it is pure laziness.).
Cook the sugar snap peas in the boiling water for a few minutes and then plunge them into iced water.
Cook the mini asparagus in the boiling water for a few minutes and then drop them into iced water.
When the beans, peas, and asparagus are cool, remove them from the iced water and place them in a bowl lined with some absorbent kitchen paper to remove the excess water. Then season with salt and splash on some olive oil and lime juice.
Slice the avocado and put it into the bowl with the beans, peas, and asparagus, and gently mix it through to exploit the antioxidation effects of the lime juice.
Heat a skillet and add a little neutral oil (I use Queensland nut oil because it has a high vapour point and because it’s Queensland!).
Wash the halloumi with tap water to remove the brine. Dry the halloumi with absorbent paper.
Fry the halloumi until it forms a caramelised crust on both sides (GC mentioned the frying time might influence the amount of squeakiness on my teeth. I had planned on running an experiment with varying cooking times, but I may leave that for another day.)
Crumble some goat cheese and add that to the salad bowl.
Toast some pecan nuts in the oven for about 5 minutes at 200 °C. Once toasted, crack the nuts in half length-ways and then add the nuts to the salad.
Cut the cooked halloumi into bite-sized pieces and add it along with the salmon to the salad bowl.
Season the salad to taste and serve everything together in a bowl.