Watermelon Salad

Photo by Elizabeth Matthew. Dish by Sam Tasto.

Watermelon Salad

Serves 6 to 8.

1 small or 1/2 large seedless watermelon, cut into 1 inch chunks (about 8 cups)
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Zest of 1 lemon
1/2 cup raw pistachios (optional) 
Any oil, for coating pistachios (optional)
Salt
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Freshly ground black pepper
1 English or 4 Persian cucumbers, cut into 1/2 inch half moons (2 cups) 
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (about 1 cup) (optional)
Small handful mint leaves, washed, dried and chopped

1. Place watermelon chunks in a large bowl and chill in the refrigerator.
2. In a liquid measuring cup, combine the olive oil and lemon zest. Set aside.
3. If using pistachios, toast them in a small skillet over medium-low heat, shaking the pan often, until toasted. Add just enough oil to coat them, and season them generously with salt. Let cool, then roughly chop; set aside.
4. Whisk the vinegar and lemon juice into the olive oil. Season with a large pinch of salt and pepper. 
5. Remove the watermelon from the refrigerator. Fold in the cucumbers. Add the vinaigrette and fold until well combined. Season the watermelon salad with salt and pepper. Top with feta cheese and pistachio, if using, and mint. Toss the salad just before serving at the table.

How to pick a watermelon? How do you know if a watermelon is ripe? Buying it from a farmer’s market is usually your best guarantee of freshness and flavor. Farmers only want to sell them at their peak. But if you’re buying them at a grocery store, follow these tips. The watermelon should feel super heavy for its size, it should have a patch where it rested on the ground. When this patch is white-yellow, it’s ripe. And finally, when you strike it hard like a drum with just a few fingers, it should make a deep hollow sound.