Farmer’s Market Melon Salad With Cucumber, Basil and Ricotta Salata

I love a good simple salad that doesn’t reaaally require a recipe (proof here and here). It’s fun to test and combine different seasonal ingredients that taste amazing together and don’t require any fussing with!

When melons are in season (it varies by type, but generally in the summer months), they’re so sweet and absolutely amazing. Don’t let the sour/hard/yucky pieces of cantaloupe you find in pre-made fruit salads at the grocery store ruin your opinion on them!

In this salad, large pieces of juicy farmer’s market melon come together with thinly sliced pieces of cucumber, toasted pine nuts, torn basil leaves, marash pepper, and salty ricotta salata. The whole thing is adorned with flaky sea salt and finished with a big drizzle of good EVOO. Summer on a plate!

INGREDIENTS

• 1/4 cup pine nuts

• 1 medium melon (can use cantaloupe, honeydew, muskmelon, etc.)

• 3 persian cucumbers

• Big handful of basil leaves

• 2 oz. ricotta salata, shaved

• Marash Chili Pepper Flakes

• Maldon Salt (or any flaky sea salt)

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil

METHOD

1. Pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees F.

2. Spread out the pine nuts on a sheet tray and place in the oven to toast for about 5-10 mins, stirring every few minutes to ensure even browning. Once golden, remove the pine nuts from the oven and allow them to cool.

3. Cut the melon into 1 1/2 -2 inch pieces and scatter them on a serving plate.

4. Slice the cucumber into thin pieces. You can cut them in to your shape of choice, but I prefer cutting them very thin, lengthwise using a mandolin. I roll up the thin pieces of cucumber around my finger to create little cucumber rolls. Place the cucumber on the serving plate along with the melon.

5. Scatter basil leaves on the serving plate and finish with the shaved ricotta salata cheese, a generous sprinkle of Marash pepper flakes, Maldon salt and a big drizzle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

NOTES

• Persian Cucumbers: If you’ve never had a Persian Cucumber, run don’t walk to the grocery store! They’re baby cucumbers and much smaller than the English Cucumbers you’re used to seeing in the produce section (the large ones wrapped tightly in plastic!).
  
  Persian Cucumbers are younger than English Cucumbers, so their skin is much more delicate and they have virtually no seeds. They also tend to be a lot sweeter and have less water content.
  
  I definitely prefer them and while you can find them at most grocery stores, English cucumber work well here as well! Just make sure to peel them and remove their seeds before slicing.

• Marash Pepper: The Kitchn said it well when they said “Marash red pepper flakes might just be the most famous spice you’ve never heard of.”
  
  This stuff is honestly my secret weapon in the kitchen. Marash pepper flakes are slightly spicy but also have this really nice tart/acidic flavor that elevates a dish and makes you think “what is that??”
  
  I’ve found that it’s tough to find at the grocery store, so i grabbed mine from a local spice shop. Here is an Amazon link if you want to order some!