Description
This Asian watermelon salad with seared salmon is a light and healthy meal for the hot days of summer when you want something cool and refreshing. The savory-salty dressing, made with fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, and chili sauce, is balanced by the watermelon’s sweetness. It’s an irresistible combination of sweet, salty and spicy.
Ingredients
For the dressing
- 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 3 teaspoons brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon sambal oelek or other Asian chile sauce (use more if you like spicy)
For the pickled shallots
- 3 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
- 3 tablespoons water
- 4 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup thinly sliced shallots
For the salad
- 1 pound salmon fillet, cut into 3-4 pieces (see Note 1)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 pounds (approximately) seedless watermelon, rind removed, cut into 1/4-inch thick small wedges (about 3 pounds of flesh after rind is discarded, see Note 2)
- 1/4 cup fried shallots (see Note 3)
- 1/4 cup chopped dry roasted peanuts (I prefer unsalted)
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro or mint (or a mix of both)
Instructions
For the dressing
- Mix dressing. In a small bowl, mix all the dressing ingredients together until sugar is dissolved. Set aside.
For the pickled shallots
- Mix pickling brine. In another small bowl, mix rice vinegar, water, sugar, and salt together until sugar is dissolved.
- Add shallots. Stir shallots into pickling brine. Set aside.
For the salad
- Cook salmon. Season salmon with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Tilt and rotate the pan so the oil evenly coats the bottom of the pan. When the pan is hot, carefully add the salmon skin side down. Cook for about 5-7 minutes and the salmon flesh looks opaque about 1/2 way up the sides. Carefully flip the salmon and cook for 3-5 minutes more or until the salmon is cooked to your liking (about 120 degrees F internal temperature for medium rare). Let salmon rest while assembling the salad (see Note 4).
- Assemble salad. Arrange watermelon slices on 4 plates. Drizzle about 2 teaspoons dressing (per plate) over the watermelon. Then sprinkle on pickled shallots, fried shallots, and chopped peanuts, dividing equally among the plates. Flake the salmon into large pieces and then add salmon to the plates. Sprinkle chopped herbs on top. Serve salads with extra dressing on the side (see Note 5).
Notes
- You can also substitute the salmon with cooked shrimp (and skip the step to cook the salmon, obviously).
- The amount of watermelon is very approximate. For this recipe, the amount is about 1/4 of an average sized watermelon.
- You can buy fried shallots or make your own. I fry my own shallots following a recipe from Serious Eats that uses the microwave and makes the process fairly easy.
- The salmon can also be cooked on the grill or roasted in the oven if you prefer.
- Feel free to add more or less of the pickled shallots, fried shallots, chopped peanuts and herbs to taste.
