gluten-free · soy-free

This is a slightly different take on a traditional watermelon salad; it’s savory, nutty, and fresh all at the same time. I know walnut, basil, nori seaweed, and watermelon are not ingredients you might consider go together, but you’d be surprised at how well they do.

Substitutions:

• If you don’t want to use walnuts, you can use almonds, hazelnuts, pistachios, or macadamia nuts instead.

Great for:

appetizer, side, summer parties, summer potlucks, picnics in the park

 

  

Watermelon Salad with Walnut Basil Vinaigrette

Serves 4 (as appetizer)

1/2 small seedless watermelon

4g (1 clove) garlic, minced

Sea salt, to taste

300g toasted walnuts

22g fresh basil leaves

90ml extra-virgin olive oil

12ml balsamic vinegar

1 sheet toasted nori seaweed

1. Peel the watermelon and cut it into thin 1/8-inch slices. They can be rectangles, squares, or whatever shape you want. Spread the slices out onto a large serving plate.

2. To make the vinaigrette, use a pestle and mortar to grind the salt and garlic into a paste. If you don’t have a pestle and mortar, you can use a food processor.

3. Add the walnuts to the mortar and crush with the garlic paste. Once the walnuts are crushed to a crumb-like consistency, tear the basil leaves and add them too. Add a pinch of salt and the olive oil. Crush so that everything comes together and the basil breaks down into little pieces like the bits of walnuts. Add the balsamic vinegar and crush until combined. The consistency of the vinaigrette should be sightly chunky but spreadable. Season to taste and set aside.

4. Season the watermelon slices with a little bit of black pepper, then spread the vinaigrette on top of them, dispersing it evenly throughout the plate. Tear the sheet of nori up into bite-sized pieces or smaller and sprinkle on top. Serve immediately.