Summer is now almost over, but it is still warm enough for salads. And a salad does not need to be a sad affair, even if the ingredients are run of the mill, as I have been discovering. This one has Tuna in it to remind me of the Ocean, which I dearly miss, and tahini (sesame paste) to make me feel fancy. The halloumi is there to bulk it up and make it a proper main dish.
The fancy ingredients, tahini and halloumi, can be found in large supermarkets, health food stores or Turkish/Middle Eastern stores, and they keep for long, specially the tahini, so no need to go every week to a store on the other side of town. The green used for the salad can be whatever you have at hand and can be eaten raw - any variety of lettuce, watercress, Valerianella, or a mix of all of these will do. The first time I have seen Valerianella was in Germany, so I am not sure about the availability in other countries.
I noticed that depending on the brand, tahini can be more or less fatty and I was suspicious that some of it might be of lower quality. So, I asked a colleague that has a middle eastern background if there was any way to choose “the best” tahini and apparently having a layer of fat at the top of the jar is normal and expected. Unless it is too much, let’s say 1/4 of the volume, it actually indicates a good quality tahini. One thing to bear in mind is one should homogenize the tahini - for instance with a spoon - before taking it from the jar.
As for the halloumi, don’t fret if you can’t find “real” halloumi - any grill cheese with do, and I tend to buy the cheap ones pre-marinated with chili. And if you don’t have it or are not that hungry, no problem, the salad will work without it as well.
Whilst you could use black pepper to season this dish, I strongly recommend white pepper which goes extremely well with some fish dishes.
Source
Inspiration from a paleo website, modified to include some extra ingredients.
- Servings: 2
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 30 mins
Ingredients
- Tuna: 140g, canned in water
- Tahini: 2 tablespoons
- Salad greens: 2-3 cups, for instance half a lettuce.
- Cherry tomatoes: a handful
- lemon juice: 2-3 tablespoons, or 1 lemon
- Garlic: 1 clove, pressed
- White pepper: 1 teaspoon, or to taste
- Sea salt: to taste
- Olive oil: 2 tablespoons
Directions
- Wash the salad and the tomatoes. Shred the salad and halve or quarter the tomatoes.
- Lay the salad on large plates, dot with the tomatoes, drizzle the olive oil, and add a bit of salt.
- Brush slightly the halloumi with olive oil and grill it in a grill pan with medium heat.
- While the halloumi is grilling, take a bowl and mix the tahini, lemon juice, garlic, tuna (without the water), and white pepper. If the mixture is too thick add some drops of water, but remember it should have the consistency of a paste. Spoon it into the middle of the plates.
- Finish off by cutting the grilled halloumi in small pieces and dotting the salad with it.