Tomato-Watermelon Salad Recipe

There’s a preferred culinary saying that what grows collectively goes collectively, and within the case of this summery tomato-watermelon salad, that is positively true. Crisp, contemporary watermelon and ripe tomatoes are an ideal pairing for a simple, contemporary sizzling climate salad. Right here, the 2 candy, juicy fruits (sure, tomatoes are a fruit) are completely complemented by contemporary mint and creamy, salty feta cheese.

Whereas the mixture of substances makes complete sense, for the right tomato-watermelon salad we had to make sure that the fruity watermelon and tomato flavors didn’t get drowned out when tossed with savory substances. Seasoned recipe developer Julia Levy put the salad by way of its paces in our check kitchen to get a model that’s salty, candy, acidic, and with a touch of spice.

Julia additionally found out a solution to tame the juiciness of the 2 star substances whereas preserving their texture and taste. The result’s a salad that is not simply scrumptious, but additionally has a completely beautiful presentation to point out off summer time’s bounty. Listed below are a number of suggestions for making it.

7 Easy Suggestions for the Greatest Tomato-Watermelon Salad

1. Begin with three sorts of tomatoes. As clichéd as it could sound, this salad actually is a celebration of summer time’s bounty. And we lean into this concept by calling for not only one kind of tomato, however three varieties. The bigger heirloom tomatoes (any bigger heirloom selection will work effectively right here) are thinly sliced and fanned out beneath the dressed salad. This creates a stunning presentation, nevertheless it’s additionally sensible: The undressed skinny slices of tomatoes will catch the entire extra dressing and juices from the tossed salad that’s layered on high of it, so not one of the flavorful dressing is misplaced on the plate. Smaller cocktail and cherry tomatoes, that are bursting with candy taste, are lower and tossed with the dressing and the watermelon. For a very fairly salad, we advocate on the lookout for multicolored tomatoes.
2. Salt and drain the heirloom tomatoes. We use our go-to Severe Eats strategy of salting and draining tomatoes with the thinly sliced cocktail tomatoes on this recipe. It not solely ensures the tomatoes are dry and don’t leach extra water onto the serving platter, however salting them prematurely attracts out their water to pay attention the tomato’s taste.
3. Marinate the cherry and cocktail tomatoes. Whereas salting the bigger sliced tomatoes retains them from abandoning an undesirable puddle of juices, with the smaller cherry tomatoes and cocktail tomatoes that marinate within the dressing, we truly need a puddle of tomato juices amassing on the underside of the bowl. Within the case of this salad the flavorful tomato liquid contributes to the dressing—it provides contemporary vegetal taste to the salad that pairs effectively with the candy watermelon.
4. Let the salad sit. The naturally launched liquids from the cherry tomatoes are important on this recipe. When mixed with the added acid, oil, salt, and chile within the dressing, the juices from the cherry tomatoes type an much more flavorful dressing. To this finish, it’s a necessity to let the salad sit for at the very least half-hour earlier than serving so there’s time for the dressing to “make itself.” The marinated, softened cherry tomatoes are additionally a welcome distinction in texture to the crisp watermelon.
5. Add the watermelon simply earlier than serving. Whereas the tomatoes profit from being pre-salted or marinated to attract out extra moisture, Levy discovered that pre-treating the watermelon with salt negatively affected its texture. As an alternative, to retain the watermelon’s crips chew, it’s best to not salt the watermelon prematurely, and as a substitute to toss it with the dressed lower cherry tomatoes proper earlier than serving.
6. Stability the candy watermelon and tomatoes with an assertive dressing. To counter the juiciness and sweetness of the watermelon and the tomatoes, we made an intense dressing with assertive substances equivalent to white balsamic vinegar, honey, lime juice and zest, and contemporary serrano chile for a welcome kick.
7. End with feta and mint. Recent mint and salty, creamy feta cheese add not solely a horny array of colours, however these remaining garnishes additionally convey welcome contrasting textures to the smooth tomatoes and the crisp watermelon, in addition to a pop of earthy taste from the mint, and a briny, salty chew from the cheese. Levy discovered it greatest to sprinkle each the mint and feta on high earlier than serving. Once they had been tossed into the salad, their vibrant colours had been misplaced when coated within the dressing.