BY CASSANDRA HAMMERSTONE
August 2024
My favorite salad to order at our local neighborhood restaurant a simple cucumber salad, with red onions and cilantro, dressed with lime juice and honey, and flecked with pink Sumac.
Sumac is a spice well-known to Middle Eastern and North African cooking. It’s a dried berry, in the same way peppercorns are dried berries. Ground as a spice, Sumac is floral, almost citrusy, with smoky notes. A little goes a long way.
This is my take on that salad, with the addition of cantaloupe and aged goat cheese. The sweetness of the melon rounds out the assertiveness of the dressing, and always plays nicely with cucumber. It's a departure from the traditional melon salad with basil, yet still pairs perfectly with your choice of charcuterie for a perfectly balanced salty and sweet dish you’ll crave in the height of summer, especially on nights when it’s just too hot to cook.
Thinly slice the cantaloupe, cucumber and red onion. You can create ribbons with a peeler or planks with a mandoline. Keeping the cucumbers and melon relatively the same size and shape will help ensure that every bite is balanced. Since the sizes of cantaloupes and cucumbers vary, aim to have equal amounts of both in the salad, about two to three cups each.
Whisk together the olive oil, honey, sumac, the zest of one lime and the juice of two, about two tablespoons. Season with a pinch of salt, to taste.
Toss the cantaloupe, melon and red onion with the dressing.
Sumac is a spice well-known to Middle Eastern and North African cooking. It’s a dried berry, in the same way peppercorns are dried berries. Ground as a spice, Sumac is floral, almost citrusy, with smoky notes.
Shave ribbons of aged goat cheese with a peeler. Aged goat cheese brings a salty, earthy creaminess to the salad. An aged gouda or young parmesan cheese (aged around one year) would be great alternatives, if they’re more your preference. Plate and top with the cheese and handfuls of fresh cilantro.
CUCUMBER AND CANTALOUPE SALAD
Season: Summer
Serves two to four
Ingredients
½ medium cantaloupe
¼ of one medium red onion
2 medium cucumbers
¼ cup olive oil
1 tsp honey
Zest of one lime
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
½ tsp Sumac
¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves
1 ounce shaved aged goat cheese
PREPARATION
Cut the cantaloupe in half and remove the rind and seeds. Using a mandoline, thinly slice one half of the cantaloupe, the cucumbers and the red onion. Aim to have equal amounts of cucumber and cantaloupe in the salad, about two to three cups each.
Prepare the dressing by whisking together the olive oil, honey, lime zest and juice, Sumac and a pinch of salt in a small bowl. Adjust seasoning to taste.
Toss the cantaloupe, cucumber and red onion with the dressing.
Arrange on a platter and top with the fresh cilantro leaves and shaves or ribbons of aged goat cheese.
Comments