“Every summer I make one thing that makes me think: That’s it, that’s the pinnacle of summer… then its memory carries me through the months of being tired of root vegetables,” food writer Bettina Makalintal wrote recently. For her, the pinnacle of summer was a sungold tomato and burrata dish. For me, it’s this salad.
As part of my no-cooking summer theme, I have unsurprisingly turned towards salad. During earlier heatwaves, I started thinking about everything I was craving. Juicy watermelon. Sweet, perfumed cantaloupe. Salty, sesame-dressed cucumbers. Tangy feta. Fresh basil and mint. And heirloom tomatoes, of course – no summer is complete without them. A minimalist might have edited down that list of ingredients. But instead – inspired by an Anna Jones recipe for a watermelon and feta salad with pita chips, and a Paris Rosina salad that paired watermelon and tomato with pink peppercorn – I put it all together into one ultimate summer salad.
Like my previous ultimate spring salad, this feels like a total distillation of the season. It is sweet, crunchy, bright, salty, spicy and ridiculously juicy. The fruit is so luscious that it almost feels like dessert, although the za’atar-covered pita crisps, jalapeños and feta help to pull it back into dinner territory. It requires a fair amount of chopping, and you do need to turn your oven on for 15 minutes to make the pita chips, but the labour is more than rewarded by the sheer summery plenty.
When I heard that one of this month’s Natural Wine Killers subscription wines, Brand Shake & Wait, tasted like salty grapefruit, I knew I wanted to drink it with the salad. And boy, did it deliver (once I let the impressive, namesake dregs settle). Somehow, the wine wasn’t overwhelmed by the dish’s sweetness, all while supplying a hit of salinity that gave the salad additional oomph.
I don’t think it’s possible to get more refreshing. And if there's another spell of hot weather on the way before this long hot summer is done, we could all use a little refreshment.
The Ultimate Summer Salad
Adapted from Anna Jones and Paris Rosina
Serves 4 as a main or 8 as a side
For the pita chips:
3 wholewheat pitas
3-4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2-3 tablespoons za’atar
Flaky sea salt, such as Maldon, to taste
For the salad:
4-5 large heirloom tomatoes
3-4 Persian cucumbers
Flaky sea salt, to taste
1 medium cantaloupe
1 baby watermelon (or large wedge sliced from a big watermelon)
3-4 jalapeños
30g fresh mint
30g fresh basil 300g feta
Pink peppercorns, to garnish (optional)
For the dressing:
100ml extra-virgin olive oil
50ml lemon juice
25ml toasted sesame oil
2-3 tablespoons sherry vinegar
1-2 tablespoons agave nectar or honey
Flaky sea salt, to taste
1. First, make the pita chips. Preheat the oven to 200°C and line a large baking tray with foil. Using kitchen shears, cut the pitas into bite-sized triangles and arrange on the tray in a single layer. Drizzle over the olive oil and add the za’atar, plus a large pinch of flaky sea salt. Toss to coat. Bake for 12–15 minutes, pausing halfway through to flip, or until they’re dark golden-brown and have turned crispy. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.
2. Prep the main salad ingredients. Core the heirloom tomatoes and dice into bite-sized pieces. Arrange in a single layer on a cutting board. Next, smash the cucumbers: Cover with a paper towel to stop the seeds spraying and whack them with a rolling pin or heavy-bottomed pan until smashed. Chop into roughly bite-sized pieces. Sprinkle both the tomato and cucumber pieces with flaky sea salt to taste – this will help season them and draw out excess moisture – and set aside.
3. Next, prep both melons. Cut off the bottom of a cantaloupe to create a flat surface, then carefully slice away and discard the peel. Halve, then scoop out and discard the seeds. Dice into bite-sized pieces. For the watermelon, similarly remove and discard the rind (or save for pickling). Dice into bite-sized pieces, discarding any black seeds you can see.
4. Finally, slice the jalapeños thinly (wearing gloves if you wish, to protect your hands). You can discard the seeds if you prefer less spice. Remove the mint and basil leaves from their stems.
5. Next, make the dressing. Add all of the ingredients to a medium bowl and whisk until emulsified. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. Set aside.
Claire M Bullen is a professional food and travel writer and all-around lover of tasty things. You can follow her at @clairembullen. For more recipes like this, sign up to our Natural Wine Killers wine subscription - you'll receive Claire's recipe and food pairings plus expert tasting notes for three amazing wines like this one every month (or two, if you choose our bi-monthly option).The Ultimate Summer Salad