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Peak Summer: Watermelon Steak Salad

Watermelon has always been that one fruit that can spark up nostalgia for me: it's a remembrance of summer evenings or afternoon family picnics. On any given summer night, my mother and father would have a watermelon wedge waiting for me; it was just something that was always there. It's also one of those ingredients that tends to go well with a variety of flavors. Be it spicy, salty, tart, acidic, or bitter - they all seem to work.  This time of year is great for many other fruits and vegetables – tomatoes, radish, bitter greens, and other melon varieties – which, luckily, all complement watermelon very well.  This dish will show that although watermelon is great on its own, there are many flavor profiles that pair great with it, too.

 

Executive Chef Steve Paul, Acorn, acornpgh.com

 

 

Watermelon Steak Salad

1/4 seedless watermelon

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp sugar

2 tbsp lemon zest

 

Cut off the rind and cut into steaks ¾-inch thick, 4 inches long, and 2 1/2 inches wide, 3 to 4 steaks depending on the size of the melon. Mix the salt and sugar together and sprinkle on the steaks. Top the steaks with the lemon zest and seal in a Ziplock bag, removing as much air as possible, and set in the refrigerator with a weight on top of it. A dinner plate or two would be fine.

 

Mint Labneh

1 cup Greek yogurt

2 tbsp lemon juice

1/4 cup heavy cream

3/4 tsp salt

3 tbsp mint, chopped

3 tbsp parsley, chopped

 

Using a strainer and cheesecloth, strain some of the liquid out of the yogurt for an hour or longer if you can. Once strained, add all ingredients together in a blender and blend until smooth.

 

Citronette

2 lemons, zest and juice

1 lime, zest and juice

1 1/2 tsp chopped garlic

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

2 tbsp sugar

1 tsp ground black pepper

1 tbsp salt

1 cup olive oil

 

Add all ingredients except the oil in a blender and blend until smooth. With the blender running, start adding the oil slowly with a thin stream until all incorporated.

 

Pickled Coix Seed

1/4 cup coix seed

1/4 cup white vinegar

1 cup water 

1 pinch of turmeric

1 tbsp sugar

1 1/2 tsp salt

 

Add all ingredients in a pot and bring to a simmer for 20 minutes until fully cooked through. Strain and cool in ice water.  

 

Jicama Relish

1/2 cup jicama, peeled, small dice

1/2 cup cantaloupe, peeled and deseeded, small dice

1/4 cup pickled coix seed

2 tbsp chopped chives

1/4 citronette

 

Toss all ingredients together in a bowl, place in the refrigerator and allow to sit and marinate for an hour.

 

Bread-and-Butter-Cucumber

1/2 seedless cucumber, small dice

2 cups apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup water

3/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp turmeric

3/4 tsp celery salt

 

Put the cucumber in a jar and bring the remaining ingredients to a boil and allow to cool before pouring over the cucumber. Allow to sit for a few hours before using - the longer the better.

 

To assemble: 

1 tbsp black sesame seed

1 tbsp toasted white sesame seed

1/2 cup feta, crumbled

1/4 watermelon radish, thinly shaved, stored in ice water

1/2 fennel bulb, thinly shaved

1 head blonde frisee, picked

1/2 jalapeño, thinly shaved

6 cherry heirloom tomatoes, halved

1 grapefruit, supremed

2 mint leaves

Olive oil, to garnish

 

Take out watermelon steaks and allow to dry on paper towels to remove any liquid. Put a spoonful of mint labneh in the middle of the plate and form a circle, then place the watermelon in the middle of the labneh and top with the sesame seeds. Cover the top of the steak with a thin layer of the jicama relish, and top with some crumbled feta and three watermelon radishes.  

 

Mix a salad with shaved fennel, frisee, and dress with citronette, and build over the steak. Garnish with shaved jalapeño, bread-and-butter cucumber, tomato, grapefruit, and torn mint leaf. Drizzle olive oil over the entire dish and serve.

 

 

 

STORY BY MAGGIE WEAVER / PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAVE BRYCE/ FOOD STYLING BY VEDA SANKARAN / PROP STYLING BY KEITH RECKER / RECIPE BY CHEF STEVE PAUL, ACORN / WALLPAPER: GUERMANTES BY MANUEL CANOVAS, COURTESY OF COWTAN & TOUT

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