The word “saganaki” comes from “sagani”, which is the name of the type of Greek frying pan with two handles that this dish is traditionally cooked in. Over time, “saganaki” came to refer to any dish cooked in this type of frying pan, the best known of which is this fried cheese mezede. This is a Cypriot recipe which uses halloumi, a type of cheese with a very high melting point made on the Geek island of Cyprus. In other parts of Greece, people use their own local cheeses, such as kasseri, to make this dish.
This recipe serves 4.
Ingredients:
- 300 g halloumi cheese, sliced about 2 cm thick (about 10.6 ounces)
- 60 g butter (about 2 ounces)
- 1 large lemon
- ½ tsp. dried mint
- Eight cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
- ¼ tsp. cracked black pepper
Instructions:
1. Melt butter on medium heat in a nonstick pan.
2. Place halloumi slices in pan, allow to brown and turn over, using two forks.
3. Garnish with halved cherry tomatoes, mint, and pepper.
4. Squeeze lemon juice over halloumi and serve immediately.
*Note: Halloumi can be quite salty- you may want to rinse it before cooking to remove excess salt.