Corn Salad with Mango and Halloumi

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 From NYTimes by Hetty Lui McKinnon: This salad brings together some of summer’s best and brightest ingredients: corn, mango and cucumbers. A perfect, just-ripe mango provides sweetness as a counterbalance to the saltiness of fried halloumi. The cheese is fairly easy to find in supermarkets, but if you are looking for an alternative, you can use queso blanco, which is less salty, but fries in a similar way. (For best results, fry the cheese just before you are ready to eat.) Pita chips turn this into a heartier meal. You can also wrap the salad in corn tortillas and serve with guacamole.

My only comments are in the preparation of the corn - the instructions say to put them on a sheet pan and drizzle with oil - but then you put them in a skillet. The sheet pan's only function seems to be is a surface to hold the corn while the oil is drizzled! I think that they should go in an oven or bbq to char a bit, rather than trying to do this on a skillet which seemed to want to smoke rather than cook the corn the way I thought. After trying to do it in a skillet, I ended up putting them in the oven to broil for a bit and that worked.

Don't give up on the halloumi cheese in the skillet either - you have to let it get brown on the outside which it eventually will! They say 30 to 60 seconds a side but I had them in the skillet for a while - maybe it wasn't as hot as theirs was, etc. Give it a try and see what works for you. 

Very delicious salad.  

    For the Vinaigrette

    • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
    • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
    • ½ teaspoon granulated sugar
    • ½ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
    • ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
    • ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
    • Black pepper

    For the Salad

    • 3 ears of corn, husks removed
    • 2 (8-ounce) blocks halloumi cheese, drained and cut into ¾-inch cubes
    • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
    • 1 large just-ripe mango, peeled and cut into ¾-inch pieces
    • 3 Persian or mini cucumbers (about ½ pound), unpeeled, cut into ½-inch pieces
    • ¼ cup chopped mint leaves
    • ¼ cup chopped cilantro
    • 2 scallions, finely sliced
    • Kosher salt and black pepper
    • 3 ounces pita chips, crumbled

 

  1. Step 1

    To make the vinaigrette, place the olive oil, vinegar, sugar, salt, cumin and smoked paprika in a large bowl and whisk until combined. Taste, and season with pepper and also more salt if needed.

  2. Step 2

    To prepare the salad, place the ears of corn on a sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil, massaging to coat.

  3. Step 3

    Heat a medium (10-inch) skillet over medium-high. When hot, add the corn and allow to cook for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, so they char. (The ears don’t need to be completely blackened, just parts of them.) Set aside. When cool enough to handle, use a sharp knife to cut the corn from the ears and add to the bowl with the vinaigrette. When the pan has cooled, wipe it out.

  4. Step 4

    Pat the halloumi cheese with a kitchen towel to remove excess moisture. Heat the same pan you used for the corn over medium-high. When hot, drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil, then add the halloumi pieces and cook for 30 to 60 seconds on each side, turning frequently, until they are golden on all sides. Transfer to the bowl with the corn.

  5. Step 5

    To the bowl, add the mango, cucumbers, mint, cilantro and scallions and toss to combine. Taste and add salt and black pepper to your liking. When you are ready to serve, top with pita chips and toss gently.

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