Salted Watermelon, Orange and Feta Salad
Ingredients:
So here is what you need for 4 servings:- 1/2 Watermelon cut into 1 inch slices
- Salt
- 2-3 oranges cut into segments
- 400g Feta Cheese cut into 2cm cubes
- 250g Mixed Baby Leaves
- 200g Pumpkin Seeds
- 100g Caster Sugar
- Lemon & Mint Dressing (see below for the recipe)
- Salt the watermelon liberally on both sides. Place on a tray and cling wrap.
- Place another tray on top and weigh down with a few cans of food.
- Place in the fridge overnight.
- Put the sugar in a sauce pan along with a tablespoon of water.
- Bring to a golden caramel colour then add the pumpkin seeds.
- Stir around quickly and then pour out onto an oiled tray
- Allow to cool for several hours then blitz in a blender to pea sized chunks.
- Wash off the salt from the melon thoroughly in a few changes of water then pat dry with paper towels. The melon should have shrunk and become a much more vivid red colour. This is due to the water loss, which intensifies the flavour.
- Cut into inch sized cubes, toss together with the orange segments, feta, mixed baby leaves and dress with the lemon and mint dressing.
- Divide between 4 bowls attractively piling up the ingredients in each bowl.
- Scatter with pumpkin seed brittle and serve!
Lemon and Mint Dressing:
Ingredients- Juice and zest 4 lemons
- 100g Honey
- 2-3 tbsp Dijon Mustard
- 200ml White Wine/Sherry Vinegar
- 600ml Pomace Olive Oil
- 1 bunch of mint, picked
Method:
- Blanch the mint leaves in boiling water for 10 seconds then plunge into cold water immediately. Squeeze out the excess moisture and roughly chop.
- Place the lemon juice, honey and vinegar in a saucepan and simmer until reduced by a third and allow to cool.
- Pour into a drinks blender and add the mustard, lemon zest and and half the oil. Blitz on a low setting whilst continuing to drizzle in the remaining oil. If it becomes too thick and mayonnaise like, add a little warm water to thin it out.
- When the consistency is correct, add the mint and continue to blitz until chopped and incorporated.
- DO NOT over blend or else the mint will make the dressing muddy brown, you just want the mint incorporated not fully blended.