New! Grilled halloumi and shishito skewers view recipe

Grilled halloumi and shishito skewers

These hearty skewers have it all - smokiness, sweetness and saltiness. Every now and then, if you’re lucky, you might bite into a hot pepper too. It can be eaten with flatbread and a salad, or with rice and a side of yoghurt. My recipe stipulates that it should be cooked under a grill/broiler, but if you have an outdoor barbecue, they would be perfect cooked on that.

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Three grilled skewers with pieces of chicken and green peppers arranged on a round white plate atop a marble surface. - Hetty Lui McKinnon

This recipe makes 4 to 5 substantial skewers. Serve 1 per people as a side to salad, rice or flatbread as a light meal.

Grilled halloumi and shishito skewers

Serves

Ingredients

2 (250g / 8.8oz blocks) halloumi, drained
125 g shishito peppers (about 16)
4 to 5 bamboo skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes
extra virgin olive oil

Sweet and smokey sauce

2 tablespoons gluten free or regular hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon crushed red chili pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

To make the sauce, combine the hoisin, maple, smoked paprika, chili flakes, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper and olive oil in a bowl, and stir to combine. Set aside.
Slice the halloumi in half through the centre of the block where there is a natural fold - it should fall apart easily - so you have 2 rectangular slabs from each block. Slice each slab into 4 long pieces (we want them to be a similar size to the shishito) - there should be 16 pieces.
Thread the halloumi and shishito alternately onto the skewers - since there are 16 pieces each of halloumi and shishito, skewer 4 of each onto each stick. (If you are feeding 5 like me, you can stretch it out to skewer another stick).
Set the grill to medium high, about 400˚F / 200˚C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Carefully transfer the skewers onto the sheet and drizzle both sides with a little olive oil. Grill (broil) until blistered in parts, 4 to 5 minutes. Carefully flip the skewers over and grill (broil) the other side for 4 to 5 minutes.
Remove from the oven and immediately brush both sides of each skewer with the sweet and smokey sauce. Leave for 2 minutes before serving.