This probably isn’t surprising to any Macheesmo readers, but I’ve been on a grilling kick lately. Trying to expand my vegetarian grilling entrees, I’ve been making these marinated Halloumi Skewers. They have amazing flavor and the texture of the grilled cheese is hard to beat.
It’s kind of magical that this recipe actually works. I thought the cheese would probably fall apart on the grill, but using a few tips and tricks of the trade, it holds up and is a delicious vegetarian option for grilling dinners!
What is Halloumi Cheese?
Halloumi cheese is a great cheese that isn’t super common in America, but you can find it in most grocery stores if you ask. It almost has the texture of feta, but isn’t quite as hard or salty. You can cube it easily but once it is cut, it doesn’t flake apart and holds its shape well.
Halloumi cheese doesn’t melt like traditional cheeses so it can hold up well to heat because it doesn’t just fall apart. That makes is great for grilled dishes like this!
Making the Marinade
I like to make a simple olive oil based marinade for these skewers that includes a good amount of oil and apple cider vinegar, honey, and some herbs and spices. I used a mix of fresh thyme and dried mint because, quite frankly, it’s what I had but any mix of fresh and/or dried herbs works just fine.
You can use this marinade on the cheese and vegetables so it’s okay that there’s a lot of it. Ideally, you would let the ingredients marinate for an hour or longer, but I made a batch after just marinating for a few minutes and it was still worth the work. The cheese soaks up the flavors nicely.
Tips for Making Halloumi Skewers
Here are some tips for making great skewers:
- Try to keep your cheese and vegetables the same size for even spacing on the skewers.
- When you are adding your ingredients to the skewers, leave a little room between each ingredient so they can cook on all sides.
- Grill the skewers over high heat (direct heat) so they get charred in spots.
- Don’t flip the skewers too much while cooking or the cheese will fall apart. One flip is good.
- Serve the skewers while warm. The cheese will get a bit chewy as it cools.
Preparing Grill for Skewers
It’s important to have your grill really hot and have it really clean or the skewers will just stick to the grill. Whether you are using charcoal or gas, preheat the grill well and get it to at least 550˚F.
To clean the grill, brush the grates well with a cleaning brush and then use a towel with some oil and tongs to lightly oil the grates. This will help ensure the grates are clean and skewers won’t stick!
What to serve with skewers
I like to keep it simple for serving options with these skewers. Rice is a classic serving idea and you can just serve the skewers right on top. I didn’t think the skewers needed a sauce, but you could serve it with a classic yogurt sauce of some sort.
The other option for serving would be a pita wrap of some sort with a sauce or some spicy chili oil. YUM.
Substitutions for Halloumi Skewers
Quite honestly, there isn’t many cheeses that would work in these skewers. If you are grilling a cheese, you should probably hunt down halloumi.
But other than that the skewers are pretty flexible. Use any mix of vegetables you like from peppers to zucchini to mushrooms or even broccoli. Experiment or use your favorite grilling ingredients!
Storage instructions
These don’t keep super-well in my opinion. I would make as many as you plan to eat. As the cheese cools, it gets a bit rubbery and isn’t as great as right off the grill. That said, no need to throw away leftovers. If you do have some, they keep well in the fridge and you can reheat them in a 250˚F oven or in the microwave on high heat bursts.
Marinated Grilled Halloumi Skewers Recipe
Grilled Halloumi Skewers
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried mint
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 pound halloumi, cubed
- 1 green pepper, chopped
- 1 zucchini, sliced
- ½ red onion, sliced
- 1 cup grape tomatoes
- Rice, for serving
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together olive oil, apple cider vinegar, honey, salt, thyme, mint, red pepper flakes, and black pepper. Cut the halloumi into about 1-inch cubes. Add cheese to marinade along with other vegetables. Stir to coat and let marinate while you prepare grill. You can also make this in advance and store in the fridge for a few days.
- Preheat grill for high heat, direct heat grilling and heat grill to 550˚F. Clean grates well and use a rag with some neutral oil and tongs to lightly oil the grates to prevent sticking.
- Add skewers and grill for 4 minutes per side, flipping once. Don’t over-flip the skewers or the cheese will fall apart. If the cheese is sticking a bit to the grill, use a metal spatula to loosen the cheese before flipping.
- Grill for another 3-4 minutes on the second side. Finished skewers should have deep grill marks on the cheese cubes and the vegetables should be charred in spots but still have a bite to them.
- Serve halloumi skewers immediately over rice or in a flatbread.
