Nothing screams summer like ice-cold watermelon on a blistering hot day. As kids, my brother and I loved cooling off by running through the backyard sprinkler, then devouring huge chunks of crunchy pinky-red melon under the big shade tree out back. We were young and thought nothing of diving in face first, then spitting black seeds at each other as we reappeared. My mother was not amused.

Today, “the girls”—my BFF’s—are coming for lunch in the garden. Feeling a bit nostalgic, I’m making my favorite Mediterranean salad that pairs icy sweet watermelon with mild, salty feta cheese, Kalamata  olives, thin slices of purple onion, and a generous sprinkling of freshly chopped mint. A simple dressing of fresh lime juice and extra virgin olive oil tops it all off. It’s at once sophisticated, easy to assemble and delicious. And if you’re feeling creative, you can halve and hollow out several small, round watermelons and slice the bottom off to stabilize them on a plate. Fill each with salad and decorate with a mint sprig. It’s pure summer on a plate.

As simple as this salad is, it requires best-quality ingredients, especially a perfectly ripe watermelon. I don’t know about you but searching though huge bins of these beauties at the market always overwhelmed me in the past. After all, how was I supposed to know which ones were ripe? There was no scent, and color offered no clues. I hate to tell you how many times I ended up with a mediocre pinky-white, flavorless melon. Then I learned the secret of selection from Beyond Wonderful produce expert, Dan Avakian.

First be brave; walk right up to the bin and look for a couple of potential favorites. Reject anything that is damaged or has soft spots. Now put both hands on one, like you’re going to give it a shoulder massage. If it “gives” or springs back slightly, it’s ready. But let’s be doubly sure. Pick it up and hold the watermelon in one hand and run your thumbnail across the top of the melon. If the green “peels” slightly, it is ripe. This is because the rind starts breaking down when it is ripe and beyond. A “green” or unripe watermelon will not peel when scratched.

I told Dan that I had read one should thump watermelons to test for ripeness. He laughed and said, “you can thump or slap them, but it doesn’t guarantee ripeness. If you must do it, listen for a thud that vibrates.” Dan swears by the thumbnail test and so do I. Give it a try the next time you’re in the market.

Back in the kitchen, I grabbed my sharp, trusty chef’s knife and cut into the watermelon. Score! It was a beautifully ripe, pinky-red and very juicy melon—perfect for my salad. Cutting watermelons is easy when you know this technique:

Later at lunch, one of my friends admitted that she was a bit apprehensive about combining feta cheese and olives with watermelon, but was determined to try it. After one bite she exclaimed “perfection! Who knew? It’s absolutely exquisite.” I agreed, and continued to savor my salad politely with knife and fork. Mother would be proud.

Get a printable copy my Watermelon, Feta, and Kalamata Olive Salad and illustrated, step-by-step instructions for How To Slice Watermelons.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 3rd, 2009 at 6:14 am and is filed under Blog. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.