Silky Eggplant With Almond Salsa and Yogurt Recipe (2024)

If halloumi cheese is not available, can anyone recommend a substitute?

Ian, If you can’t find Halloumi at Whole Foods or speciality shops, you may use Queso Blanco which is carried more widely and can be purchased at Costco or Sam’s Club. Unlike Queso Fresco, meant for crumbling, it has the appearance & texture of part skim mozzarella. It is salty, like Halloumi, and can be sautéed, broiled or grilled. It would be a good substitute.

Or brush the eggplant slices with olive oil and toast them in your sandwich press between pieces of baking paper. They will absorb much less oil.

Instead of a pan, roast the eggplant on stoneware baking sheets.

Don't pan-fry the eggplant - it gets too heavy and oily. Instead, brush with olive oil and roast in the oven. Local store didn't have halloumi, so I tried another hard Greek cheese. No luck - it immediately started to melt when it hit the pan. :-( Before adding the almond salsa, drain off any vinaigrette remaining.Basically, very good combination of flavors, textures and mouth feel.

This is REALLY good. I added green bell pepper rings and arugula, cuz that's what I needed to use up (along with the eggplant). Also subbed cheese curds for the same reason. The wife pronounced it her favorite eggplant dish ever. It's a keeper.

Instead of a pan, roast the eggplant on stone baking sheer

In Ecuador I substitute queso Manaba...so very similar! In the U.S. try havarti. Melts but will give you the subtle salt and will turn slightly golden when sauteed before turning into a melted glob.

Loved the final texture of the eggplant. It really is superior to many other eggplant recipes in that respect. Halloumi is not really necessary, makes it a little too heavy. I served it with hummus, pita and a simple tomato/cucumber salad.

I roasted the eggplant in the oven (425 degrees on convection roast for about 25 minutes). Otherwise made it as written. Rave reviews from my dinner guests!

Queso Blanco can be substituted for halloumi cheese. Can roast eggplant instead of frying.

Did not have halloumi cheese but added goat cheese before serving. Also added grilled peaches and a little honey. Served with garlic naan. Delicious!!

We loved this recipe. I made it without the Halloumi cheese because, here in my part of Japan, any kind of specialty cheese is hard to come by. Honestly, it was very good without it.

I would toss the eggplant with olive oil, S and P, then roast it in a 400 degree oven until soft.

This was so much better than I expected. I made it according to the recipe and we loved it. Will definitely make it again.

Delicious!!!!! I can’t get Fresno peppers so substituted small red Thai peppers (I love spicy!), and I’m not a fan of mint but had some fresh parsley I needed to use so swapped that. Otherwise followed the recipe and loved it!!!

Not sure what to rate. I liked it, but also it was a little weird. I might make it again. Would definitely leave out the Haloumi next time - even though I liked it once I saw the fat and salt count I don't think it's worth it, and you don't really need it, as many of the comments say.

Outstanding! My fiancé claimed it was the best vegetarian meal he’s ever had. We really liked the recipe’s approach to making silky eggplant—it came out just right. Also we finished the whole platter for 2! Yum!

I didn’t have halloumi cheese, but there was actually no need for it. It just tasted great as it was. Cooking is the best therapy against stress for me.

Love this recipe as a whole but the almond salsa is one of the most delicious things I have ever tasted

Really enjoyed this recipe, such great flavor combinations. Cooked as written, although cut down since it was just for me. The halloumi was delicious, but if you can't get it (or just don't want to go to the store...) I really don't think I'd miss it if it was left out.

Made this last night and it tasted delicious. That being said, I'm never making it again as written because the process of frying the eggplant in copious amounts of oil is just too unpleasant in a tiny kitchen. I'll sacrifice the texture (which is great) and bake it in the oven next time - it's just not worth the smoke alarm!

I find the combination of eggplant and haloumni great. Also the almonds marinated with vinegar and garlic is terrific. I added fresh spinach since I had some left in the fridge, which turned out to blend in well with the eggplant. Will certainly cook this again soon.

Really good recipe. 5 stars!

Needs at least triple the amount of yoghurt and half the amount of almonds.

This is absolutely delicious! However halloumi really makes this heavy. I’ll try it with chickpeas next time.

Instead of pita bread, I’ve now done this three times with black or wild rice or farro on the side. I have also substituted garlic with garlic chives. The recipe is one of the best ones I’ve cooked this year. Halloumi, eggplant, toasted almonds, vinegar, yoghurt — they all play really well together. The biggest downside of the recipe is that bringing this lunch to work requires at least three different containers, but the taste is well worth the hassle.

This was so much better than I expected. I made it according to the recipe and we loved it. Will definitely make it again.

We liked the pan approach to preparing the eggplant. Using a cast iron pan and lid, it came out silky and had nice golden bubbled surfaces. It wasn't oily at all, and didn't require more salt. We blotted it with a cotton kitchen towel - more effective than paper towels.

I riffed a bit--some boiled potatoes got involved, and some fried chickpeas subbing for the almonds and haloumi--but really enjoyed the mediterranean direction of this. However you cook the eggplant--fried or roasted or (as I did) on a griddle--Jampel is right that a good amount of oil and allowing the slices to steam once cooked is crucial to soft, sweet eggplant.