Turkish-style watermelon salad
“Watermelons are a big thing in Cyprus – cold for breakfast straight out of the fridge, served at room temperature with lunch, or to mark the end of a meal. This is one of the dishes that introduced me to the similarities between Turkish and Italian food; Italians would use a salted ricotta for that salty, clean, acidic finish, while we Cypriots use our bouncy, somewhat squeaky ‘helim’ (halloumi).”
- Serves4
- CourseBreakfast
- Prepare15 mins
- Cook-
- Total time15 mins
- Plussitting
Ingredients
- 1kg watermelon
- 30g fresh red chillies
- 230g cherry tomatoes, halved
- ½ x 25g pack coriander, leaves picked
- ½ x 25g pack mint, leaves picked
- 2 unwaxed limes, zest and juice
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 50g halloumi or feta cheese (optional)
- 1 pinch/es Ottolenghi Aleppo & Other Chillies
Method
Cut the watermelon however you like – go for triangles, peel the whole thing and go for shards, or just scoop the flesh out – whatever you can be bothered to do.
Slice the chillies on an angle for a little flair, add to a bowl with the tomatoes and season generously. I like to season the tomatoes and chillies first to allow the tomato juice to run and the chillies to start to build their heat.
Go in with the watermelon next – toss it through the tomatoes and chilli with a pinch of salt. Add the herbs, lime zest and juice, and olive oil, then toss again. Let the salad sit for a good 15 minutes; the longer it sits, the better it gets.
Plate up – I like to finely grate some halloumi over the top, or crumble over some feta, then scatter over a generous pinch of Aleppo chilli flakes for that little extra oomph.
Nutritional
Typical values per serving when made using specific products in recipe
Energy | 714kJ/ 171kcals |
|---|---|
Fat | 11g |
Saturated Fat | 1.8g |
Carbohydrates | 13g |
Sugars | 11.9g |
Fibre | 1.8g |
Protein | 1.7g |
Salt | 0.8g |