These Halloumi and Red Pepper Fritters are crispy, herby, and full of fresh herbs. Drizzled with a vibrant roasted red pepper mayonnaise.
Halloumi has to be one of my personal favourite cheeses. I’d go so far to say that it’s basically cheese gold.
It’s a cheese that’s great served on its own but it’s also just as great (if not better) when rustled up into fritters. This has been a firm favourite with my family and it was also a regular lunch I’d make to take to work at the dental clinic.
Halloumi and Red Pepper Fritters
These Halloumi and Red Pepper Fritters are a top tier way of using your halloumi. They’re crisp, herby, and incredibly easy to make.
They’re made from blitzed up halloumi along with roasted red pepper, fresh herbs, a couple of aromatics, and a little cornflour (that’s corn starch for US readers). These fritters can then be pan fried, air fried, or baked until golden and crispy perfection.
I recommend serving these Halloumi Fritters with a spicy red pepper sauce
Every fritter needs something to dip it into in my opinion. The one I recommend for these is a creamy, spicy, red pepper sauce (recipe included!).
It’s a quick and easy sauce that only requires a handful of ingredients and literally minutes to make. We’re using some more roasted red pepper along with garlic, lemon, and parsley.
You can choose yogurt for a lighter sauce or mayonnaise for a richer and more creamy one. I personally love going with yogurt for this, it just pairs so well. I think some soured cream would also work well, but leave out the lemon if you’re going to use this.
What is halloumi?
Halloumi is a firm, white Cypriot cheese that’s usually made from a mixture of goat’s and sheep’s milk. Sometimes you may also see it made from cow’s milk.
Due to its high melting point it holds shape during cooking which allows it to be a perfect choice for grilling – similarly to paneer. In terms of texture, it’s got a bit of a chew to it. The best way to describe it would be a ‘squeaky’ cheese.
Flavour wise it’s quite salty and has a lovely freshness but overall it’s quite neutral in flavour. You can often buy halloumi which has been coated in mint leaves. It is usually available in the cheese/dairy section of most supermarkets.
How to cook Halloumi?
The most common way to cook halloumi is to slice it and grill it. It forms a golden brown crust with a chewy soft interior. After grilling it can be drizzled in hot honey for a spicy, salty, and sweet finish.
You can also pan fry, air fry, or bake halloumi. But it’s crucial not to cook it for too long otherwise you risk drying it out, which causes it to become quite tough to eat.
Or you can use it as part of a recipe, like these Halloumi and Red Pepper Fritters or even to make my Halloumi Fries. If you want to try a spicy take on halloumi with a bit of an Indian influence, I’d recommend my Halloumi Bhajia.
Let’s talk about some of the ingredients
I’ll cover the main ones below but the full recipe can be found at the end
For the fritters:
- Halloumi – which will be soaked in boiling water to soften and to reduce the saltiness
- Red pepper – this will be roasted until softened. Half will be used for the fritters and the other half will be used for the sauce
- Mint and parsley – both herbs will add flavour, freshness and pair really well with halloumi
- Olive oil – additional flavour
- Corn flour – to help bind these and crisp them up
- Salt – to season
For the sauce:
- Mayonnaise – for creaminess and flavour. Vegan mayo will also work for anyone who doesn’t eat eggs
- Roasted red pepper
- Red chilli – for some heat
- Garlic
- Lemon juice
- Salt
How to serve these Halloumi Fritters
Add them to your lunches, sandwiches or salads. You could even make larger fritters and use them as burgers. Just be sure to increase the cooking time if you do increase the size. The main way of knowing these are done is by the colour and crisp – it should form an even brown crust all over.
The KEY tips to getting these Halloumi and Red Pepper Fritters right
- Don’t overcook them – this will dry them out and make them quite tough
If you enjoyed this recipe
Please do let me know! Leave a review and a rating below, I’d love to know how you got on.
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Until then, happy cooking!
Halloumi and Red Pepper Fritters
Equipment
- Food processor
Ingredients
Fritters:
- 225 g halloumi cut into 1cm cubes and soaked in boiling water for 10 mins, then patted dry
- 1 red pepper roasted (half will be used for the fritters, half for the sauce)
- Handful of mint
- Handful of parsley
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp corn flour
Sauce:
- 4 tbsp mayo vegan or regular
- 1/2 of the roasted red pepper
- 1 red chilli
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- To roast your red pepper, slice lengthways, de-vein and de-seed, drizzle with olive oil and a pinch of salt. Place in an 180’C oven for 15-20 mins or until softened. Half will be used with the fritters and the other half with the sauce
- Blitz your fritter ingredients together in a food processor, it will resemble a cous-cous like consistency but will hold together when shaped
- Shape into fritters, I went on the smaller side with around 1.5tbsp of the mix for each
- Either air fry at 190'C for 7-10 mins, flipping these over half way to ensure even cooking. OR bake at 190'C fan/210'C conventional oven for around 15-20 mins, flipping half way. (note: baking tends to cause these to flatten out slightly so keep your fritters thicker to compensate for this)
- Blitz your mayo ingredients together in a food processor until smooth
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