Here's the Salad of the Summer
It's a quencher with lots of hydrating crunch, plus my fallback "secret" ingredient
So often when I’m trying to dial in a recipe and struggling to identify what’s missing, the answer is sweetness. I love how a bit of honey, maple syrup, coconut sugar, or a few chopped dates can help the mouthfeel of a dish and solve the fullness of flavor that had been lacking.
You wouldn’t think this is the case with a dish like watermelon salad, which starts out on the sweet end. But with all that hydration (water), and after I’d already done the rounds of more salt, more acid, more heat, more crunch, and more funk (in the form of something fermented), it was a deep, caramely sweetness that sharpened everything into focus.
Dates to the rescue, again.
This watermelon salad benefits from the juicy seasonal produce finally starting to appear (watermelon, tomatoes, cucumbers) and has a few surprises as far as flavor goes. As the salad sits the dates soften and start to break down a bit, which is a good thing. And the little bits of chopped pickle, you’ll just have to trust me on those.
It’s been sweltering here in New York and I’ve made it three times this week already. It’s going to keep coming in handy for the weeks to come.
Some Reading Material
Last month I had the privilege of writing my first book review {NYT gift link} for the New York Times Book Review. Pride month has just passed but John Birdsall’s What Is Queer Food? and Erik Pipenberg’s Dining Out are fascinating and very satisfying reads all year long.
I shared some tips on making better veggie burgers with The Guardian.
Speaking of veggie burgers,
’s Vegan Potato Burgers sound right up my alley.If you’ve been paying any attention to the mayoral election in New York City, you might have heard about the concept of publicly owned grocery stores, which is a pillar of
’s campaign platform. I was new to this idea, and found ’s explainer published on Forbes incredibly helpful (via his Grocery Nerd newsletter).Are you a fan of shirataki noodles? I don’t think I’ve head them before, but I’m so intrigued by this new
recipe.
More Hydrating Summer Recipes
Summer Soba Salad with Pickled Apricots: Cold noodles, lightly pickled fruit, and any and all the colorful additions your heart desires, I recommend packing this one for the beach.
Honeydew & Cucumber Frozen Wine Cooler: A spin on the watermelon-based frosé I get excited to make every summer (frozen watermelon cubes, rose, splash of gin and grapefruit juice — just blend it) — this is a spin with a new flavor profile, and the option to make it boozy or not.
Summer Bowl with Minty Green Yogurt Sauce: Protein-rich and full of texture and juicy crunch, this is, like all bowls, an easy one to riff on.
Green Bean Salad with Brined Tofu, Pickled Peppers, and Almonds: There’s such a clever trick here for giving cubes of tofu the feta treatment, and it’s a prime place for snappy summer green beans.
Juicy Watermelon & Seared Cheese Salad
Feta makes a great substitute, but it shouldn’t be seared. If you go that route, skip the heat altogether. Instead, slice the red onion thinly and rinse it if you’d like to soften it’s flavor, then toss the salad with the honey, lemon juice, and black pepper in step 5.
Halloumi is always best when its warm, because it has that melty give, but it cools almost immediately when tossed with the watermelon and other veg here. You can try to serve it right away, but know that if you’ve made peace with the cheese being cool, then the salad can sit for quite some time. Definitely don’t waste the super flavorful juices that collect in the bottom of the serving bow.
Serves 4 to 6 | Prep & cook time 20 minutes
2 Kirby or Persian cucumbers, cut into ½-inch chunks (about 1 cup)
6 ounces ripe summer tomatoes, any kind, cut into ½ inch pieces (about 1 cup)
½ teaspoon fine salt, plus more if needed
Olive oil or avocado oil
1 block halloumi or paneer, cut into ½-inch cubes
½ medium red onion, sliced into thick strips
6 large dates, diced
1 small chili, such as a serrano, jalapeño, or fresno, sliced into thin rounds, or a big pinch red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon red or white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
Zest and juice of 1 large lemon
Freshly ground black pepper
½ small (4-5 pounds) watermelon, cut into ½-inch cubes (about 4 cups)
¼ cup chopped gherkins
A few handfuls fresh mint or basil leaves
Flaky salt, for finishing
1. Combine the cucumbers, tomatoes, and salt in a serving bowl, and toss gently. Let stand while you prepare the rest of the salad.
2. Set a medium skillet over medium-high heat, and once it’s hot, add a very thin film of oil (you really don’t need much). Arrange the cheese in the pan in an even layer, and sear it on both sides until browned, flipping it halfway through, 4 to 6 minutes. (If using paneer, which is much less salty than halloumi, season it now with a few big pinches of salt.) Watch carefully towards the end, lowering the heat if necessary.
3. Add the onion, dates, and chili to the pan and cook for 2 to 3 minutes more, until the onion softens just a bit. Deglaze with the vinegar. Remove the pan from the heat.
4. While it’s still hot, drizzle in the honey, stirring to combine, followed by the lemon zest and juice, and season with black pepper. This can sit for 20 to 30 minutes, but rewarm it over low heat before serving to loosen the honey.
5. To serve, add the watermelon and gherkins to the bowl with the cucumbers, along with the cheese mixture and herbs, and stir gently to combine. Add a few pinches of flaky salt if needed. Spoon from the bottom of the bowl when you serve, to capture the flavorful juices.
Note: I realize the downloadable PDF feature is occasionally not working. I have raised this issue repeatedly with Substack, and been told that it is unlikely to get fixed anytime soon… I’m sorry about this. I continue adding the PDFs with my fingers crossed. You can always send me an email and I can provide the PDF another way.
Great book review! I can’t wait to read both of them. I remember my parents having Real Men Don’t Eat Quiche on their bookshelf when I was a kid, though I have to imagine they got it as a gift or something. I, of course, loved quiche from an early age lol
I think I’m going to have to make this one tonight!