If you’re new to Halloumi your life is about to change. Halloumi Burger is the name of the game this summer for us. If you’ve never tried Halloumi before – get ready! It’s a delicious Cypriotic, unripened brined cheese that is firm, slightly chewy and has a high melting point which means… it can be cooked without it melting- pan fried, grilled, poached, grated, basically it cooks and holds shape. Isn’t that cool! The other cheese that has similar qualities is Paneer, used extensively in Indian cooking and a staple source of vegetarian protein. But today we’re working with halloumi.
For this recipe we grate the the halloumi cheese and combine it with white beans, grated zucchini, almond flour, herbs, seasonings and pan fried until cooked and crispy. We then assemble the patty over toasted brioche and other fixings. A simple exciting summer dinner for anyway of the week. Here’s how it’s done.
Halloumi Burger
Equipment
- skillet or frying pan
- mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 8 ounces halloumi cheese grated
- 1 medium zucchini grated and squeeze as much liquid out as possible
- 1 15 oz can white beans or chickpeas drained, rinsed, patted dry and mashed
- 2 spring onions finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ½-1 teaspoon each sea salt and black pepper or as needed halloumi cheese is brined and salty so use added salt as needed
- ½ cup ground almond flour for binding
- 1-2 tablespoons ground flax or a.p flour for binding as needed** see notes
- ½ teaspoon chilli flakes optional
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil for frying
Add Ons
- 4-5 brioche or buns of your choice
- 1 large fresh tomato sliced
- ½ small onion sliced
- 1-2 small avocado mashed
- handful of spinach or lettuce or sprouts
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl mash the white beans really well. Add the grated halluomi cheese, chopped green onions, spice +seasonings, almond flour and grated zucchini. Mix well. The mixture should be firm to the touch.
- Put the bowl in the fridge for 30 minutes for the mixture to firm up. This step is essential so the almond flour and beans will absorb some of the moisture. If the mixture still feels a bit loose add some a. p flour a teaspoon at a time until it feels firm to the touch.
- Divide the mixture into 4-6 patties to your desired thickness. And chill for another 10 minutes in the fridge.
- While the patties chill make the extras. Toast the brioche buns on a hot skillet until golden and slightly charred. Mash the avocado, slice the tomato and onion.
- Heat the skillet to medium-low and add tablespoon of olive oil. Once warm place the patties and allow them to fry on medium heat for 3-4 minutes on each side until golden and crispy. Do not crank up the heat or the patties will burn and the inside will remain uncooked.
Assemble
- Once the patties are cooked and the brioche is toasted. Assemble the burger starting with mashed avocado, patty, tomato, onion and finally sprouts. For added flavor a small squeeze of sriracha or harissa is delicious. Enjoy
Notes
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