I would like to introduce you to a different way of eating a watermelon. This will be your new number one summertime salad. With this unexpected dish, you will surprise your friends and family. They will be amazed by the fact how well watermelon and celery go together. This recipe is for 3-4 people.
The ingredients you will need are:
- ½ of watermelon (medium one, ca 4kg, possibly with no seeds)
- 3 celery stalks (bright green to yellowish-green)
- 2 medium zucchini
- 10-12 bacon slices
- olive oil
- vinaigrette
- salt and pepper
How to make it:
First of all, wash the celery stalks and the zucchini under cold running water to remove all the dirt. Trim off the bottom and the top of each stalk (ca 2 cm). For the salad, it is better to cut it in small pieces. Therefore, it’s easier to eat and looks much more elegant. Slice the stalks into 2-3 mm thin half-moons crosswise.
Cut the zucchini lengthwise in half and slice it in ca 2 mm thin half-moons. Furthermore put everything in a salad bowl, drizzle with some olive oil and vinaigrette and season well.
Afterwards wash the rind of the watermelon and cut it in half (crosswise or lengthwise). I cut it crosswise. Store the other half in the fridge, covered with some transparent food foil. How to cut the watermelon in pieces for grilling? There is no real rule. Cut the rounds by slicing the watermelon into 2-3 cm thick slices. Then place each round on a cutting board and trim off the rind. Slide the knife around the rind to remove all the white part. Then simply quarter each round and you are ready to grill.
Take a grill pan and a small non-sticking pan. Place the bacon slices in the small pan and place it on the stove on medium heat. Bacon will release its fat and soon it will start to curl and change colour to darker red. Time to turn the slices to get crispy on the other side too. Put the crunchy bacon on a paper towel and let it drain.
Put the grilling pan on the stove. Wait until it gets really hot. Drizzle some olive oil on the watermelon slices and place them in the pan. Grill each side for 2-3 minutes.
Serve the watermelon”steaks” on top of the celery-zucchini salad. Then top everything with two slices of crispy bacon. Optionally you can crumble some Feta cheese. Finally, drizzle some balsamico.
Enjoy!
