Yellow Nectarine Salad with Grilled Halloumi

The combination of salty grilled halloumi, creamy avocado, peppery radishes alongside sweet charred corn, makes this vegetarian salad with nectarines super refreshing and so easy to prepare.

Why I Love Yellow Nectarine Salad with Grilled Halloumi

When I saw the mountains of stone fruits at our local market, I really wanted to create an easy salad with nectarines.

If you prefer, you could even use peaches (giving them a light grill will bring out the sweetness even more) in this summer salad recipe.

The combination of salty grilled halloumi, creamy avocado, peppery radishes alongside tangy sweet nectarines and charred corn, makes this salad super refreshing.

And to have it presented as a salad grazing platter, everyone can choose a bit of everything they love the most.

The colours, the flavours and the total ease to prepare, Yellow Nectarine Salad with Grilled Halloumi will be a hit on your table.

Difference Between Yellow And White Nectarines?

With stone fruit in full swing, it is hard not to create salads with nectarines, peaches and apricots. We love the delicious sweetness it adds to summer salads and they pep up the colours for sure.

Sometimes referred to as smooth-skinned peaches of the stone fruit family, nectarines have a similar stone and kernel in the middle as peaches.

Nectarines may be freestone which means the ripe flesh separates easily from the stone or they are clingstones which have flesh that sticks to the stone.

Skin colours range from red to bright orange and can have white, yellow or red flesh. I’ve never seen a red flesh nectarine at my local grocer’s. Most commonly found in Australia are yellow and white ones.

White nectarines actually have less acidity and are slightly sweeter than yellow nectarines. However, I do prefer the yellow nectarine possibly because it has a slightly tangy sweetness when eaten firm but I personally feel it has more flavour.

Either way, when both are in season, salad with nectarines are fantastic. They add sweetness, crunch and colour. White and yellow nectarines are also great in jams, cakes and tarts.

What Does Halloumi Taste Like?

Firm cheese with sometimes a squeaky texture. Distinctly salty. And I love halloumi cheese, especially in salads.

Similar to other fresh milk cheeses like mozzarella, halloumi has a layered texture but more salty and firmer like feta. Once cooked though, I find the taste of halloumi resembling the Greek saganaki kefalotyri cheese.

Originating from Cyprus, halloumi is a semi-hard cheese that is traditionally made from goat and sheep’s milk but today more commonly from cow’s milk.

Paneer cheese is the possibly the closest option as a substitute but with its unique flavours when cooked, I feel halloumi is one of a kind.

Whilst there is no harm in eating raw halloumi, it doesn’t sound all that delicious.

However, when cooked, halloumi transforms. Crispy crust, deliciously creamy middle with strong savoury flavours. I find it very hard to resist, hence my love for halloumi cheese recipes of all kinds!

Where to buy halloumi cheese for us is normally large supermarkets as well as Mediterranean delicatessens.

You can now also find dairy-free options at supermarkets which would be a great substitute for our vegan and plant-based friends. Alternatively, you can use pan-fried firm tofu to replace the halloumi cheese.

If you’re crazy about halloumi in salads like we are, you may also like Balsamic Honey Roasted Figs and Halloumi Salad and Pearl Couscous Salad with Za’atar Halloumi And Pomegranate.

How to Make Yellow Nectarine Salad with Grilled Halloumi

How to Fry Halloumi

It is pretty simple in how to fry halloumi. For most of my halloumi salad recipes, I like to pan-fry the halloumi in a flat pan to get that beautiful golden crust.

You can also put in on a griddle pan or even the barbeque at the same time when grilling meat or vegetables.

Cut the halloumi into thick slices and brush lightly with olive oil. Over medium-high heat, place the halloumi on a large pan or griddle pan to fry.

Fry for 1-2 minutes or until golden brown and then flip over to fry the other side.

How to Make the Best Grilled Corn

You don’t have to grill the corn in this recipe. Boiling them is perfectly fine.

Grilled corn just adds another dimension in flavour and it’s simple to do especially if you already have the griddle pan out.

Season corn with a little olive oil, salt and pepper. Place corn on a hot grill or griddle pan and cook for 15 minutes or until charred.

Turn the corn occasionally so all sides are cooked well. Once ready, remove from the grill to cool down.

To remove corn from the cob, place the corn flat on the chopping board and run a sharp knife down to remove the kernels.

Don’t cut too close to the white of the cob, you just want about ⅔ of the kernels.

Keep cutting until you have all the corn kernels. If possible try to cut the kernels in chunks. I find this is easier to do when the corn has cooled down.

Place cut kernels into a bowl ready for assembling.

How to Prepare Yellow Nectarine Salad

Wash spinach leaves and give it a shake to remove excess water.

Wash and cut nectarines into 1cm wedges.

Wash and rinse radishes well. Trim the stalks and then thinly slice from top to bottom.

Cut avocado in half with skin lengthwise. Once you hit the stone, rotate your knife around and make a cut around the pit.

Then place the knife down and, using your hands, twist and pull the avocado apart.

One half will have the stone which you can remove using a teaspoon to prise it out. Gently run the teaspoon under the pit to pop it out.

Peel skin gently and then place avocado cut side down and cut into 0.5cm slices from top to bottom.

Place sliced avocado into a small bowl and squeeze some lemon juice over it to stop it from going brown.

How to Make Seeded Mustard Dressing

Mix together in a small bowl (or in a mason jar) olive oil, apple cider vinegar, seeded mustard, rice malt syrup or honey and salt and pepper.

Give it a good whisk or shake so the dressing is well combined. It can be left in the fridge until the salad is ready to serve.

How to Assemble the Salad

For our salad with nectarines, I wanted to show off all the bright summery ingredients, therefore, I chose to present as a salad grazing platter.

Plus your family can graze on it as they please. However, you can also use a large salad bowl and toss the ingredients together.

Basically you are presenting the ingredients like an antipasto platter. So start with layering spinach leaves first.

Then divide your other ingredients into half or smaller portions and layer then out across the spinach leaves.

I started with grilled halloumi, then half nectarine, then with radishes and then some avocado slices and grilled corn.

I then repeated the process until I filled the platter. You of course don’t need to follow this. Just layer as you feel is right.

Drizzle seeded mustard dressing over top and serve.

Perfect vegetarian salad grazing platter to serve as a light lunch with warm crusty bread or add it with your next barbeque.

To make it vegan friendly, you can substitute halloumi cheese with a dairy-free version, pan-fried tofu or even swap with grilled eggplant.

All will work with this easy summer salad. Our Yellow Nectarine Salad with Grilled Halloumi is a super versatile salad grazing platter to accommodate all dietary requirements.

That’s all!

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