Halibut and Halloumi Skewers with Dates and Figs

One of my favorite parts of Vineyard cooking is grilling on our small Weber charcoal grill. There’s a bit of a learning curve going from gas to charcoal (I recently discovered the chimney technique for heating up the coals… game changer), but once you get the hang of it with heat zones and all it’s smooth sailing.

And speaking of grilling… I was recently granted early access to my friend Maria Koutsogiannis new cookbook, Greek Out! (out September 8!) and after flipping through her recipes, I knew I had to dedicate one night on the Vineyard to making a big fat grilled Greek feast (for my big fat Italian family).

We prepped tons of fresh market vegetables to serve with her Tatziki, made her Pita dough and marinated her chicken Souvlaki before heading to the beach, and acquired all the ingredients needed for the recipe I was most excited about: Halibut and Halloumi Skewers with Dates and Figs.

To make a long story short: each recipe was better than the last. They were easy to read and follow (nothing worse than opening up a page and immediately feeling OVERWHELMED!) and turned out absolutely delicious… and exactly as pictured. Everyone had a different favorite… and the DeVita family got an education in Halloumi :)

Maria generously shared her recipe with me so you all could make it at home and get a taste of what else you’ll find in Greek Out! This is a really special cookbook to add to your collection and with 120 recipes, you’ll never run out of inspiration in the kitchen.

And one last note about why this recipe is going live before the book is even out: preordering a book majorly helps authors have a better chance ending up on best seller lists and helps inform booksellers of how many copies to stock and even where to place the book in stores! It’s used as a bench mark for what to expect when it comes to sales :) Preorder away!

SERVES 4 AS A MAIN OR 10 AS AN APPETIZER

The idea is simple: Rub all of the above with sumac and cinnamon and a little drizzy of olive oil, grill until caramelized and charred, then hit it with some honey. Chewy, creamy, cheesy, sweet, salty—they’re all in attendance in one fun handheld barbecue dish. Halloumi isn’t as Greek as graviera as far as firm, salty cheeses go, but it holds its shape so nicely and goes toe to toe with the tender, juicy halibut.

what you need

2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (from 1 to 2 lemons,

2 teaspoons ground sumac teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 pound skinless wild halibut, cut into 1-inch cubes

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

3 cups 1-inch chunks Greek Village Bread (page 72) or sourdough

10 fresh figs, halved

9 ounces halloumi, cut into 1-inch cubes

10 Medjool dates, pitted

Hot honey or regular honey, for serving Fresh mint leaves, for serving

Store-bought toum, for serving (optional)

what you do

PREP THE HALIBUT: If using wooden skewers, soak them in water for 20 minutes.

In a small bowl, stir together the lemon zest, sumac, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, and cinnamon. Use paper towels to pat the halibut cubes dry, then transfer to a medium bowl. Sprinkle with the seasoning mixture and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and gently toss to coat the fish.

ASSEMBLE THE SKEWERS: In a second medium bowl, combine the bread, figs, and halloumi with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and toss to coat.

Thread each skewer with a piece of bread, halloumi, halibut, and fig, plus a date. Repeat until you’ve run out of ingredients and have made ten skewers.

GRILL: Heat the grill to medium heat (about 400°F) and brush or spray with olive oil.

Add the skewers and grill until char marks form on the first side, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip and repeat on the remaining three sides, until the halibut is just cooked through and flakes easily with a fork, 8 to 12 minutes total.

SERVE: Transfer the skewers to a plate or platter, hit ‘em with a drizzle of honey and lemon and a sprinkle of mint, then serve with toum, if desired

xxx,

Maddy