How to cook halloumi: three simple rules

It's amazing how many people ask us at the market how to cook halloumi.

While Rod is not a chef, he's cooked a lot of halloumi.

He's got three simple rules:

1 Make sure that pan is hot.

2 Don't add butter or oil to the pan.

3 Make sure you've got great halloumi - and there are no prizes for guessing which halloumi he suggests.

You want a hot pan to ensure the halloumi sizzles: you don't  want it just stewing in there.

Our halloumi pieces are about 1.8cm thick: a perfect thickness for easy cooking.

If you want smaller pieces, say to mix into a salad, you could make life easier by cutting your halloumi into fingers before you cook it.

A minute or two on each side is plenty. Basically once you get a decent amount of colour on side you know you're about right. If  you like a bit more crunch on the outside you adjust accordingly.

We're asked every week whether we put butter or oil in the pan.

The short answer is no.

It's not necessary because there are enough natural fats in the halloumi for it to sizzle away happily without sticking.

Another reason to avoid butter or oil is that the halloumi would soak up those flavours. Fine if that's what you want, but typically it's the halloumi taste you'll be after.

Oh, and back to rule number three. We reckon we've got great halloumi. You can find our Traditional Halloumi or Hickory Smoke and Garlic Halloumi in our online product range.

 You can also find our halloumi in independent supermarkets in Tasmania.