Sesame Halloumi Fries
These crispy halloumi cheese fries are a Middle Eastern-inspired riff on mozza sticks. They're an easy-to-make vegetarian finger food that's perfect for sharing.
Ingredients
For the hot honey dipping sauce
- 1 cup honey
- 3 dried red chile peppers, such as chiles de arbol
- 1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper flakes
For the fried halloumi
- Two (9-ounce) packages halloumi cheese
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 5 teaspoons sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon sumac
- 1 teaspoon za’atar
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- Neutral vegetable oil, for frying
Instructions
Make the hot honey dipping sauce
- In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the honey, chile peppers, and Aleppo pepper flakes, and bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 to 10 minutes. (The longer it simmers, the spicier it’ll be, so the simmer time is up to you!)
- Use a fine-mesh strainer to strain the honey into a bowl and use it as a dipping sauce for the halloumi wedges. The hot honey will thicken as it cools.
Make the fried halloumi
- Cut each block of the halloumi into eight wedges and pat dry. (If your halloumi came in a brine, it may be too salty, so soaking in cold water for at least 30 minutes, or longer if needed, will help.)
- In a shallow bowl, mix together the flour, sesame seeds, sumac, za’atar, oregano, pepper, and smoked paprika. Evenly coat each wedge of halloumi in the flour mixture.
- In a shallow frying pan over medium-high heat, warm 1 inch (2.5 cm) of the oil until very hot. Fry the wedges on all sides until golden, 4 to 8 minutes total.
- Transfer the fried halloumi to a paper towel-lined plate and devour immediately.
Nutrition
Serving: 4sticks | Calories: 871kcal | Carbohydrates: 88g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 47g | Saturated Fat: 24g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 1547mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 72g