Prep time: - minutes | Cook time: - minutes | Serves: -
Watermelon is the easiest way to please a crowd at a summer cookout. Do nothing but bring a watermelon, and you've made a solid contribution. Turn that that massive fruit into a watermelon salad? You just became a hero.
But too often the watermelon salad is nothing more than the standard watermelon-feta-mint mixture, which – don't get us wrong – is a great, refreshing summer dish. But it's also old hat at this point.
These watermelon cubes are a prettier, more creative take on the standard – with a little Southwest flair and a touch of artistry.
Just cut your watermelon into cubes, and top it with a corn salad tossed with cilantro, olive oil, garlic, lime juice, jalapeño and Tabasco sauce, then top it with cotija cheese for the perfect sweet-salty-spicy mix. (The corn salad also makes a perfectly delicious side without the watermelon, btw).
Why settle for being just a hero when you can be a hero and an artist?
*Recipe by Greg Ziegenfuss, executive chef at Butler’s Pantry, via The Food Channel.
Ingredients
- 1 ear corn
- 1/3 cup red and green bell pepper, diced small
- 1/8 cup red onion, diced small
- 2 tablespoons cilantro, thinly sliced (reserve half for garnish)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic, minced
- 1 lime, zested and juiced
- 1 tablespoon jalapeño (seeds removed), finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
- 1 small watermelon (with or without seeds), sliced 1-inch thick, then cut into 1.5-inch squares
- 1/2 cup cotija cheese, grated
Preparation
- Cook the corn by placing the whole ear, husk and silk removed, in boiling water for about 10 minutes.
- Cut corn off cob. In a large bowl, toss with red and green bell pepper, red onion, cilantro, olive oil, garlic, lime juice, jalapeño and Tabasco sauce.
- Top each watermelon cube with salsa, a pinch of lime zest and a pinch of cotija cheese.
