Nectarine, halloumi and croutons with cherry tomatoes and basil

Sweet, salty, crunchy and soft, with bright pops of sourness from the tomatoes and aromatic basil, this is your new go-to bring-a-plate barbecue salad (and it’s easy to scale it up for a big crowd). This salad is best the day it’s made - and make sure to serve it at room temperature.

Ingredients

2 cups	Stale baguette, or ciabatta (about 1/3 of a baguette), roughly torn (Main)
2 Tbsp	Extra virgin olive oil
200 g	Halloumi, cut into 1cm slices (Main)
2	Large nectarines, cut into small chunks (Main)
200 g	Cherry tomatoes, (1 punnet)
6	Spring onions, finely chopped
½ cup	Fresh basil leaves, loosely packed

For the dressing

¼ tsp	Salt
½ tsp	Brown sugar
2 Tbsp	Red wine vinegar
4 Tbsp	Extra virgin olive oil

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 180C. Toss the torn bread pieces with 1 Tbsp olive oil and spread over an oven tray. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until golden and crunchy. Set aside to cool.
2. While the bread is baking, heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a heavy pan set over medium heat. Add the halloumi and cook for 2-3 minutes each side, or until golden. Remove from the heat and cut or tear into smaller pieces. Set aside.
3. Put the nectarines, tomatoes and spring onions in a large bowl. Add the cooled bread and halloumi and toss gently. Whisk together dressing ingredients in a small bowl and pour over the salad. Add the basil leaves and toss to combine. Arrange on a platter and serve at room temperature.