Tomato Halloumi Sandwich with Fried Basil

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Tomato season is in full swing and that can only mean one thing – toasted tomato sandwiches are the only rational lunch option from here on out. When I was growing up a tomato sandwich was not a seasonal thing, it was a survival thing. For a few years there, the 2-3 slices of tomatoes on my sandwich were all that was standing between me and scurvy. I was never a fussy eater but was prone to food obsessions. I loved eating the same things repeatedly. These days I try to limit my intake to August and September when tomatoes are at their peak. But even within that small window, it is possible to get bored. Thankfully, the tomato sandwich is endlessly riff-able. Today’s Tomato Halloumi Sandwich with Fried Basil is one such riff.

This Tomato Halloumi Sandwich stays true enough to the classic to feed the craving, but it also keeps things interesting with seared cheese and shatteringly crisp fried herbs. Truly a sandwich worth not getting sick of. This sandwich works in much the same way a BLT does. The saltiness of the halloumi plays beautifully off of the sweetness of peak-season tomatoes. But unlike bacon, halloumi brings a springy squeakiness to the proceedings. I’m not saying halloumi is better than bacon. That would be insane. They are from two different worlds, both of which I greatly enjoy visiting. But if you’re feeling a little BLTed out or you happen to be vegetarian, this sandwich is a great alternative. 

The first thing we’re going to do is tackle our garlic lemon mayo. Plop your favorite mayo in a bowl large enough to allow for aggressive stirring. I used Hellman’s olive oil mayo if you’re curious. This post is not sponsored, I’m just passionate about olive oil mayo. To the mayo add a couple of cloves of minced garlic and about a tablespoon of lemon juice. Don’t add too much juice or your mayo will be too runny to spread and that would be a tragedy. Also, if you find the taste of raw garlic too aggressive, cover it with the lemon juice and let it sit for 15 minutes. The lemon juice will help take the bite out of the garlic. Stir your mayo and pop it in the fridge. This chilling interval will also help firm the mayo up for smooth toast application. 

With the mayo in the fridge, we can move on to the basil. Start by removing basil leaves from their stalks. Try to use larger leaves as they are easy to handle and we’re about to do something that requires some amount of dexterity. Once you have your neat little pile of basil leaves, grab a skillet and add a fair amount of neutral oil. Working with only a few leaves at a time, lay the basil into the shimmering oil. Fry the basil until crisp. This will take no time at all, so be ready with tweezers to pluck the basil leaves out of the oil the moment they start to brown. They will bubble like mad – this is normal. You’ve done nothing wrong. Transfer the fried basil to a plate lined with a paper towel and set them aside to drain.

Once the last basil leaf has emerged from the oil, it’s time to fry the halloumi. All you have to do is plunk your halloumi slices in the already-hot oil. And yes, the cheese will bubble like mad as well. Again, you’ve done nothing wrong. It’s just the moisture from the cheese interacting with the hot oil. Keep a splatter guard handy and persevere. Sear the halloumi until golden on both sides. Transfer the cheese to a plate and set it aside as well.

Now it’s time to assemble our Tomato Halloumi Sandwiches. I probably don’t need to tell you that you can put your sandwiches together any way you wish. This is definitely a personal preference kind of thing. But I will tell you the order in which I put my sandwich together. And I will also provide my very “scientific” reasoning behind my chosen sequence.

First, start with two perfectly toasted pieces of toast. I like to toast a little extra than I normally would. This sandwich has a lot of toppings, we need the rigidity of a toastier piece of toast. Slather the toast with the lemon garlic mayo and don’t hold back. Tomatoes love mayo and that’s a fact.

Now, this may be controversial but my first topping is a fistful of mixed greens. The reasoning behind this is greens tend to be loose and unwieldy. I put them on the bottom, so the weight of the other toppings will keep them in place. Then I go in with the halloumi, I like three slices for this sandwich. And then I add the tomato. I apply flakey salt directly to the tomato because as much as a tomato loves mayo, it loves salt more. Then I add more than a few grinds of fresh ground pepper and I finish the sandwich off with a pile of the fried basil. Finally, I slice the sandwich on the diagonal because my mom raised me right.

And that’s everything you need to know about this Tomato Halloumi Sandwich with Fried Basil. A tasty, slightly unexpected way to add some variety to your tomato sandwich game.

Enjoy!