Watermelon Salad from Chef Matt
Chef Matt is a Los Angeles based personal chef and is constantly coming up with inventive creations to make salads fun and delicious. He shared his latest with us!
Chef Matt: I love this salad right now, becuase all these ingredients are at
their peak and this dressing just accentuates the natural flavors of
the ingredients. Go to the farmer’s market and buy fresh arugula to
get the extra peppery bitter taste (that’s why I don’t season the
dressing with pepper, but you certainly can), a super sweet
watermelon, and nice acidic heirloom tomato., and don’t forget the
fresh basil; always chop this right before toss the salad. This
lightly citrusy You can’t get a better taste of summer in your mouth
then this.
Ingredients
Raw Walnuts, roasted and chopped
Watermelon, diced
Tomato, diced
Basil, chiffonade
Arugula
Toss with dressing, plate and garnish with balls of goat cheese. I
think Cypress Grove’s Purple Haze is a great go to goat here.
Dressing
Fresh Ginger, 5 passes on a microplane to yield about 1/4 of a t, or tt
1 Orange, zested with 3 passes of a microplane & juiced, or tt
1 Lime, zested with 2 passes of the microplane or tt for more acidity & juiced
tt Agave Nectar
tt Champagne Vinegar (Various types of balsamics are also great try
here too; I have a tangerine one I like to use for this salad; and
I’ll often omit the ginger if I use a balsamic)
tt Salt
Whisk in at least = parts EVOO to your base, ie 1<1 acid:oil. Use more
oil for a creamery dressing
tt = to taste
EVOO = Extra Virgin Olive Oil
You can find him at www.chefmatt.com. And for more salad recipes from Chef Matt you can visit mydailysalad.com.
