I recently decided to further explore spring’s bountiful flavors with a lovely and light watermelon salad. What follows is a conglomeration of many recipes I’ve seen recently as watermelon salads seem to be the “it” dish of the moment, though I can see why….spicy meets sweet meets cooling yielding an intensely refreshing dish perfect for cleansing the pallet. The vinaigrette is highly acidic, therefore cutting the sweetness of the watermelon and adding a nice tart finish. I highly recommend serving it (like the Italians do) at the end of the meal, just before dessert, although this is so satisfying, you may be inclined to skip dessert altogether.
   

A perfect spring salad.

A perfect spring salad.

 
Serves 2 hearty portions or 4 petite portions
 
Vinaigrette:

  • 4 T olive oil
  • 2 T sherry vinegar
  • 1 T lemon juice
  • ½ Serrano pepper, thinly sliced
  • S&P to taste
     

    • Salad:

  • 1/4 watermelon, rind removed and thinly sliced
  • 1-2 heirloom tomatoes, thinly sliced and seasoned with S&P
  • 8-10 mint leaves
  • 2-4 oz feta cheese, crumbled (I used a fresh sheep’s milk feta)
  • 1 bunch arugula, thoroughly washed and dried
  • ½ Serrano pepper, thinly sliced
     
    Gorgeous heirloom tomatoes
     
    Make vinaigrette: whisk all ingredients together and allow vinaigrette to chill in refrigerator at least 1 hour
     
    Prepare and assemble salad: layer watermelon, tomato slices, and mint leaves on platter; drizzle with vinaigrette. Dress arugula leaves with dressing and pile next to fruit slices. Sprinkle feta and Serrano pepper over entire dish. Finish with a dusting of freshly ground pepper.
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