Halloumi Salata

Name: Halloumi Salata
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Cypriot
Ingredients: Full-fat halloumi; Ripe tomatoes; Cucumber; Onion; Iceberg lettuce; Fresh parsley; Olive oil; Lemon juice; Salt; Black pepper

236 kcal a serving, against 324 for the traditional version. That is 88 kcal off, or 27%, with 13.5g of protein. Serves 4. 30 minutes.

What the traditional version is

Classic halloumi salata is all about the grilled halloumi stacked over a village salad. The salad is chopped tomatoes, cucumber, onion and a handful of parsley, maybe some lettuce if you fancy. Generous glug of olive oil, good squeeze of lemon juice, salt, black pepper, then more oil poured over the lot. The cheese goes on hot, so it half-melts and soaks up the dressing. Every forkful is crisp, salty, juicy and rich - especially thanks to the oil.

What changed, and what each change costs

Olive oil from 60g down to 20g, and none drizzled over hot cheese

Halloumi is already a salt and fat delivery system wearing stripes, so you don't need your lettuce swimming in oil. This is the first place to cut with a sharp knife, and it spares you most of the easy calories.

What it costs you. You're left with a sharper, more assertive salad - you taste the lemon and the vegetables more. The cheese doesn't get that glossy coat, and the dressing doesn't run down your arm, but you're here for the halloumi, not to drink oil.

No other swaps: halloumi stays at 200g, same veg, same everything

If you switch to low-fat halloumi, you're just getting dry, sad cheese that no one in Cyprus would touch. Plus, protein's already high.

What it costs you. Let's not ruin halloumi in the name of victory. If you want low-fat cheese, eat something else. The dressing was the only thing worth trimming.

What goes in it

The ingredients, without the quantities. The weights are what the figures below are computed from, and they are in the book.

Full-fat halloumi
Ripe tomatoes
Cucumber
Onion
Iceberg lettuce
Fresh parsley
Olive oil
Lemon juice
Salt
Black pepper

How it starts

Slice the halloumi into slabs about 1cm thick.
Chop the tomatoes, cucumber and lettuce into bite-sized chunks.
In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, salt and black pepper.

The rest of the method, and every weight, is in Authentic-ish Cypriot.

The numbers

Per serving	Traditional	Lightened
Calories	324	236
Protein	13.5g	13.5g
Fat	27.1g	17.1g
Saturated fat	10.4g	9g
Carbohydrate	9g	9g
Protein per 100 kcal	4.1g	5.7g

Every figure is computed from the recipe's own weighed ingredient list against public food composition databases. The appendix in Authentic-ish Cypriot prints the exact database row used for each ingredient, so any number here can be checked. How every number is computed sets out the method.

Allergens. milk.

The method is in the book

Don't take this one too seriously. All the real drama comes from the halloumi. Cutting the oil in the dressing saves a surprising chunk of calories, but what you actually notice is you can taste the vegetables and lemon for a change. You do lose that glistening finish and a bit of richness, but honestly, no one's here for the lettuce. If you're going to be stingy anywhere, it should always be with the oil, not the cheese.

The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish Cypriot, along with 47 more. Buy the paperback