These quick and easy Grilled Halloumi Antipasta Skewers are a grilled and smokey twist on a classic antipasto platter, perfect for summertime! Threaded with delicious grill-able halloumi cheese, assorted charcuterie, Kalamata olives, and roasted red peppers, these warm handheld treats are always a hit at parties!

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Grilled Halloumi Skewers- A fun and summery twist on the classic antipasta platter

Have you ever grilled a big hunk of cheese? If not, you're in for a real treat!

Tired of the same old cheese board situation? If you're looking to wow your guests with a fresh and funky appetizer at your next shindig, these Grilled Halloumi Antipasta Skewers will get the job done. Take everything you love about a great charcuterie board, and then GRILL IT. The result os a smokey and delicious handheld treat your guests will go gaga over.

What is halloumi cheese?

Halloumi is a semi-hard, unripened cheese that's traditionally made from a mixture of goat's and sheep's milk. Sometimes, it can also be made from Cow's milk. The high melting point of halloumi cheese makes it a great candidate for grilling, frying or air frying. I love halloumi as an appetizer, in sandwiches, and as a part of a delicious dinner salad.

Making the grilled halloumi cheese skewers

To make these unforgettable appetizers, you will need:

Halloumi cheese. Be sure to cut it nice and thick. Too thin, and you won't be able to thread the skewers without it tearing.
A can of whole artichoke hearts. In my experience, working with the whole ones is much easier for this application. You can cut them yourself, and avoid all those choppy pieces which can fall off/be hard to skewer.
Thinly sliced roasted red bell pepper strips. These you can make homemade, or buy. Sometimes you can find them already cut into strips (score), but if not, just cut them into even pieces before threading.
Kalamata olives. To me, these are the ultimate olive. Fee free to use your favorites, or omit them all-together.
16 slices assorted thin sliced Deli meats. I like to get a variety and mix it up, using some Genoa salami, pepper salami, hot Capocollo, hot Calabrese and pepperoni. Use just one, a few or some of your other favorites. Channel your inner cheese board builder and go crazy.
Red wine vinegar and olive oil, to brush onto the skewers before grilling.
Neutral oil or spray, to make sure grilling goes smoothly, and nothing sticks. Steer clear of lower smoke point oils like Olive oil for this step. My go-tos would be avocado oil or canola.

Customizing your halloumi antipasta skewers

As I mention above, you can leave things out , or adjust to taste here. Think of it like arranging a cheese board. Although, the cheese is really the only item that truly isn't interchangeable.

All about olives

I LOVE Kalamata olives, But if they aren't your thing- you could go with any other variety of olives for these.

Add-ons and alternates for the skewers

Some other fun and grill-able items you could add or substitute for these would be:

Pepperoncini peppers
grape or cherry tomatoes
pickled onions
Hearts of palm

Print Recipe

Grilled Halloumi Antipasta Skewers

Prep Time15

Cook Time6

Total Time21

Course: Appetizer

Keyword: appetizer, halloumi

Servings: 16

Equipment

small paddle picks or skewers

Ingredients

½ lb halloumi cut into 1 inch thick cubes
1 14 oz can whole artichoke hearts
16 thinly sliced roasted red bell pepper strips (homemade or jarred)
16 kalamata olives
16 slices assorted thin sliced Italian meats. (such as Genoa salami, pepper salami, hot capocollo, hot calabrese)
½ tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil

Instructions

Cut the halloumi into 16 1” thick cubes. Be sure to make them thick 1” or they will break when threading,
2. Using 6”-8” paddle pick skewers, thread one piece on cheese onto each skewer, gently sliding to the top of the pick. Thread the cheese first when it is cold, and carefully thread when firm and freshly cut.
3. Slice the roasted red peppers into 16 thin strips. Alternatively, you can use pre-sliced strips.
4. Drain the artichokes, and cut into quarters. I find quartering the artichokes yourself helps them stay together better for threading. There will be a bit of leftover.
5. Once each piece of cheese is on a skewer, thread each skewer with a piece of artichoke, a slice of Italian meat (folded into 4 to make it easier to thread(), a roasted red pepper strip (folded in half), and an olive.
6. Whisk together the olive oil and red wine vinegar, and brush generously onto each skewer.
7. Heat a grill or grill pan over medium high heat and get it nice and hot. I like to let my gas grill heat cup for about 10 minutes prior, and a grill pan or griddle for about 5 minutes prior to cooking.
8. Before grilling, spray griddle or grill with neutral oil cooking spray, or brush lightly with neutral oil.
9. Layer the skewers onto the hot grill and cook 2-3 minutes a side, until nice grill marks appear on the cheese. Immediately remove one both sides of the cheese are grilled, and serve hot or room temperature. These can also be made in advance and served cold!
Makes 16

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