Skip to main content

Green Melon, Cubanelle Peppers and Ricotta Salata

Image may contain Food Food Presentation Plate and Produce
Green Melon, Cubanelle Peppers and Ricotta SalataEllen Silverman

This salad of melon, sweet pepper, salty cheese and earthy basil recalls the watermelon salad that we all love so much, but its elegant components make it more refined. Salt is key to marrying the flavors, so be generous, tasting as you go. Be liberal, too, with a very good extra-virgin olive oil—it is very much a part of this salad.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    Serves 4

Ingredients

1

/2 honeydew melon

2

small to medium cubanelle or banana peppers

Flaky coarse sea salt

1

cup loosely packed basil leaves, large ones torn

1

/4 pound ricotta salata cheese, thinly sliced

Very good extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling

Need to make a substitution?

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Seed and peel the melon half. Cut it in half lengthwise, then thinly slice crosswise on a diagonal. Trim and seed the peppers, then thinly slice them crosswise into rings.

    Step 2

    On a large platter, arrange a layer of slightly overlapping melon slices and generously season with crushed pinches of salt. Add layers of the peppers, basil and cheese. If layering a second round, remember to season with salt between the layers of melon. Crush several generous pinches of salt over the top of the salad, then drizzle generously with oil. Serve immediately.

From Salads: Beyond the Bowl: Extraordinary Recipes for Everyday Eating by Mindy Fox. Text © 2012 by Mindy Fox; photographs © 2012 by Ellen Silverman. Published in 2012 by Kyle Books.