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Lunch recipe

Golden Halloumi Couscous Salad with Courgette Ribbons

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Golden pan-fried halloumi with fluffy couscous, raw courgette ribbons, thin pepper strips, lemon and mint.

Start planningStart cookingIngredients
35 min520 kcal3 base servingsPackableFreshFamily Friendly
ContainsGluten, Milk
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Recipe and nutrition estimates

Recipe times, servings, calories and nutrition notes are estimates for planning. They are not medical or dietary advice. Check food is cooked safely and adjust recipes for your household's needs.

Focus ingredients: halloumi, couscous, peppers

Dietary fit: Vegetarian

Serving tip: For packed lunches, divide cooked components into shallow containers and refrigerate within 1–2 hours at 0–5°C. Pack salad and dressing separately where practical. Use within 48 hours, or the earliest ingredient use-by limit. Transport in an insulated bag with an ice pack and keep chilled until eating. Chilled halloumi will be firmer than freshly fried halloumi; the ribbons remain deliberately raw. Allow 1l mixing-bowl capacity per serving. Keep halloumi in a single pan layer and allow another 4–6 minutes for each extra frying batch; do not multiply temperatures or the per-batch time.

Halloumi Couscous Salad plated and ready to serve.

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Ingredients

What you need

  • 225g halloumi
  • 180g couscous
  • 150g red pepper
  • 200g courgette
  • 60g salad leaves
  • 10g mint
  • 1 lemon
  • 15ml olive oil
  • 225ml boiling water

You'll also need

kettle, heatproof bowl and cover, allowing 1l capacity per serving, 28 cm non-stick frying pan, vegetable peeler, knife, chopping board, measuring jug, scales, small dressing bowl

Method

Step by step

Up to 8 clear steps
  1. Halloumi Couscous Salad cooking step 1: Get prepped.
    Step 1

    Hydrate the couscous

    Place 180g dry instant couscous in a heatproof bowl. Pour over 225ml boiling water, cover tightly and stand for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork. This quantity follows a 100g to 125ml instant-couscous ratio; measure the water specified on your packet if its instructions differ.

    5 min
  2. Halloumi Couscous Salad cooking step 2: Start cooking.
    Step 2

    Prepare the raw vegetables

    Wash the vegetables and leaves. Use a vegetable peeler to shave the trimmed courgette lengthways into thin ribbons. Cut the deseeded pepper into thin strips. Dry the salad leaves and chop the mint. The vegetables stay raw in this salad; do not substitute raw courgette cubes.

  3. Halloumi Couscous Salad cooking step 3: Build the flavour.
    Step 3

    Fry the halloumi

    Pat the halloumi dry and cut into even slices, three per serving. Use 5ml olive oil for frying, divided between batches. Heat a 28cm non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Fry in a single layer for 2–3 minutes on each broad side, 4–6 minutes per batch, until golden. Use two batches for the three-serving base recipe if the slices overlap. Larger households may need more batches: allow another 4–6 minutes for each additional batch and serve promptly.

    6 min
  4. Halloumi Couscous Salad cooking step 4: Bring it together.
    Step 4

    Measure the dressing

    Whisk 30ml lemon juice, 1g finely grated lemon zest and the remaining 10ml olive oil in a small bowl. No extra salt is needed because the halloumi is salty.

  5. Halloumi Couscous Salad cooking step 5: Finish the dish.
    Step 5

    Assemble the salad

    Fold the dressing, pepper strips, courgette ribbons and salad leaves through the fluffed couscous. Divide evenly between the planned servings and add three halloumi slices to each.

  6. Step 6

    Finish and serve

    Scatter all 10g mint over the portions and divide the reserved 10ml lemon juice between them. Serve promptly for the best halloumi texture. For packed lunches follow the cooling and storage guidance below.