Calamari Chile And Watermelon Salad Recipes

CALAMARI, CHILE, AND WATERMELON SALAD

Steps:

• Make the dressing: Whisk together all ingredients in a bowl.
• Make the salad: Bring a pot of water to a boil. Prepare an ice-water bath. Using a kitchen mallet, pound both sides of calamari bodies a few times to tenderize. Insert a sharp knife into calamari bodies, cut along seam, and then open like a book. Lightly score inner sides at 1/4-inch intervals. Cut in half lengthwise to form 2 pieces, then slice into triangles, each about 4 inches tall by 1 1/2 inches wide. (Leave tentacles whole, or halve if large.)
• Blanch calamari in boiling water for 30 seconds. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to ice-water bath to stop the cooking. Drain, and pat dry. Place calamari in a nonreactive bowl.
• Put cockles into a saucepan, and cover with water by 1 inch. Cover, and simmer, until shells open, about 7 minutes. Drain; discard any unopened shells.
• Add cockles, watermelon, scallions, cilantro, mint, chile, pickled onion, and dressing to calamari, and toss to combine. Garnish with cilantro and mint.

MARINATED CALAMARI SALAD WITH LIGURIAN OLIVES, CELERY LEAVES, AND CHILES

Steps:

• Thinly slice the squid bodies and halve the tentacles.
• Combine the pure olive oil and garlic in a large skillet and cook, stirring, over medium-high heat until golden brown. Add the chile and squid and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.
• Transfer the squid to a bowl and mix with the extra-virgin olive oil and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Marinate the squid in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or up to 3 hours.
• Remove squid from the refrigerator 30 minutes before serving. Add celery leaves, parsley, and olives and mix to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Divide among plates and serve.

SMASHED CUCUMBER AND WATERMELON SALAD

Steps:

• Partially peel the cucumbers in strips and cut in half lengthwise. Using a spoon, scrape out the seeds. Firmly smash the cucumber pieces with the flat side of a cleaver or large knife (or a rolling pin) until the cucumbers split in half naturally. Pull apart the 2 sides of the cucumbers along the natural split. Cut the cucumbers into 1-inch pieces diagonally.
• Toss together the cucumbers and 2 teaspoons salt in a medium bowl. Let sit at room temperature until the cucumbers have released some liquid, about 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, add the neutral oil and shallots to a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallots are mostly browned, about 6 minutes. Set aside to cool, about 20 minutes (the shallots will continue to brown).
• When the shallot oil mixture is cool, stir in the following ingredients in this order: the lime zest, Chinese black vinegar, ginger, soy sauce, sugar, 1 teaspoon of the sesame seeds, the red chile and lime juice until the sugar is dissolved; set aside.
• Drain the cucumbers and dry them with a paper towel. Toss the cucumbers, watermelon, cilantro and mint in the lime-soy dressing and transfer to a plate. Garnish with the remaining toasted sesame seeds and additional cilantro and mint.

HALLOUMI, WATERMELON, AND MINT SALAD

Steps:

• Break halloumi cheese into small pieces. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add halloumi and cook and stir until golden, about 3 minutes.
• Toss watermelon cubes, mint leaves, onion slices, and fried halloumi in a salad bowl.

WARM CALAMARI SALAD

Steps:

• Cut calamari tubes into 1/4-inch rings. Cut larger tentacle pieces in half. Place calamari in a bowl. Add oil, red pepper flakes, chipotle powder, cayenne pepper, brown sugar, jalapeno slices, and salt. Mix together thoroughly.
• Place arugula and beans in separate bowl. Toss with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Divide among 4 servings bowls.
• Heat cast iron skillet over high heat until smoking. Add calamari to skillet; cook and stir until calamari loses its translucency, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat immediately.
• Spoon calamari over arugula and beans. Drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice. Season with a pinch of pepper flakes.

WATERMELON-BERRY SALAD WITH CHILE DRESSING AND LOTS OF HERBS

Steps:

• Make the dressing:
• Combine all the dressing ingredients in a blender and blend on high speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. It keeps in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Shake well before using.
• Make the salad:
• Cut the watermelon into 3 x 1 x 1-inch sticks, flicking out seeds as you go. You will have about 6 cups. Chill the watermelon in the fridge for at least an hour.
• Combine the chilled watermelon and onion in a large mixing bowl and season all over with the flaky salt. Add the berries, lemongrass, and dressing, then toss gently but well. Drizzle on the olive oil, add the herbs, and gently toss once more. Transfer to a platter to serve.