Summer Salad Recipe

Prepare lettuce and spinach

Rinse butter lettuce and baby spinach under cold water. Spin or pat dry thoroughly. Tear butter lettuce into bite-sized pieces and keep spinach whole or roughly chop if large. Place in a large salad bowl and chill briefly while you prepare other components.

Slice onion

Peel the vanilla (sweet) onion and slice very thinly into rings. If raw onion is too sharp for your taste, place the slices in a small bowl of ice water with 1/2 tsp salt for 10 minutes, then drain and pat dry to reduce pungency.

Prep berries and herbs

Rinse blueberries and drain well. Zest the lemon before juicing. Finely chop parsley and mint and set aside.

Make vinaigrette

In a small bowl or jar combine fresh lemon juice (from the large lemon), white wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey, minced garlic, salt and black pepper. Whisk or shake until combined. Slowly drizzle in the extra-virgin olive oil while whisking continuously (or add oil to jar and shake vigorously) until emulsified. Taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt or lemon if needed. Stir in chopped parsley and mint.

Toast almonds

If your almonds are not already toasted: heat a dry skillet over medium heat. Add sliced almonds and toast, stirring frequently, until golden and fragrant, about 3–4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to cool so they don't continue to brown in the hot pan.

Prepare and sear halloumi

Slice halloumi into 1/3-inch thick slices. Pat slices dry with paper towel. Heat a nonstick or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon olive oil. When oil shimmers, add halloumi slices in a single layer without crowding. Sear until golden-brown, about 2–3 minutes per side. Flip and sear the other side until deeply golden. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Keep warm.

Combine greens and dressing

Dress the salad

Pour about half of the vinaigrette over the greens, blueberries and sliced onion in the large bowl. Toss gently to coat, adding more vinaigrette to taste (reserve a small amount for plating if desired).

Plate and garnish

Divide dressed salad among 4 plates or shallow bowls. Top each portion with equal amounts of toasted almonds and 2–3 slices of hot seared halloumi. Finish with a light sprinkle of lemon zest and an extra grind of black pepper if desired. Serve immediately so halloumi remains warm and slightly crisp.