Steve's Watermelon Salad
- 3 lbs watermelon - cut into 1" pieces
- 12 oz mini-cucumbers (a.k.a. Persian cucumbers)
- 7 oz red onion
- 2 Tbl white onion - very finely chopped
- 1 oz pepperoncini peppers
- 1 Tbl pepperoncini juice
- 6 Tbl agave syrup
- 6 Tbl balsamic vinegar
- 15 g fresh mint - chiffonade *
- 10 g fresh basil - chiffonade *
- 1 tsp fresh dill - very finely chopped
- 1 tsp fresh tarragon - very finely chopped
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp white pepper
- ½ tsp salt
* "Chiffonade" means to cut into very thin strips. To chiffonade basil or mint, stack the leaves on top of each other, roll them into a cigar, and then slice them into thin ribbons.
In a large bowl add the following ingredients:
Cut the watermelon into 1-inch bite-sized pieces and add to bowl.
Cut the ends off of the cucumbers and discard. Slice the cucumbers into very thin disks and add to bowl.
Slice the red onion into ¼-inch thick disks, cut the onion rings from the disks into bite-sized strips and add to bowl.
Finely dice the white onion and add to bowl.
Cut the pepperoncini peppers into small pieces. Add to bowl along with 2 Tbl of the pickling juice from the pepper jar.
Chiffonade the basil and mint leaves and add to bowl. *
Cut and/or prepare the remaining ingredients. Lightly mix with a large spoon and add to bowl.
Refrigerate overnight. This is necessary to allow enough time for juice to diffuse out from the watermelon and blend with the fresh-cut herbs, onions and cucumbers. After refrigerating overnight there will be more liquid and a big difference in flavor.
