This watermelon salad has it all: A nice, clean citrusy zing along with a subtle kick from the jalapeños, a refreshing sweet crunch of watermelon and a little saltiness from the feta. This will absolutely become one of your favorite summer salads.
You will need a set of metal skewers to prepare this recipe. Pickling the red onions will mellow their pungent flavor; prepare them first in order to give the onions enough time to pickle.
Ingredients
- PICKLED RED ONIONS INGREDIENTS
- ¼ small red onion, sliced very thinly
- Juice of 1-2 limes, or enough to cover the sliced onions
- Generous pinch of salt
- SHRIMP INGREDIENTS
- ½ pound large tail-on shrimp (21/30 or larger), peeled and deveined (about 12 large shrimp)
- Zest and juice of 1 lime
- 1 small jalapeño, sliced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
- SALAD INGREDIENTS
- 4 cups salad mix
- 1 cup seedless watermelon, cut into bite-size chunks
- 1 heaped tablespoon fresh mint, roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons feta cheese crumbles (optional)
- Salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
- Lime wedges, for garnish
- Good-quality extra-virgin olive oil, for garnish
Directions
For the red onions
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl, ensuring the onions are fully covered in the lime juice. Stir gently and set aside to pickle for at least 15 minutes.
For the shrimp
Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and stir gently. Place in the refrigerator to marinate for no longer than 15 minutes. (Any longer and the lime juice will start to “cook” the shrimp, so be sure to keep an eye on the clock.)
If using a grill, preheat it to medium heat. If using the oven, preheat to 450° F.
Skewer the marinated shrimp and jalapeños on metal skewers, alternating one shrimp with one jalapeño slice. You will have about 6 shrimp per skewer, depending on size.
If grilling, grill for about 3 to 4 minutes each side, depending on size. If baking, place the skewers on a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet and bake for about 8 minutes, depending on size. You want the shrimp tails to get a bit of color on them. (If you don’t have a wire rack that fits inside a baking sheet, just bake the shrimp directly on the baking sheet.)
For the salad
Assemble the salad mix on a large plate or platter. Scatter the watermelon chunks on top of the salad.
Drain the pickled red onions and scatter them on top of the salad.
De-skewer the grilled shrimp and jalapeños and place them on top of the onions.
Top with chopped mint and feta, if using.
Season with salt and pepper, squeeze of lime juice and extra-virgin olive oil to taste. Alternatively, you can finish the salad with your favorite salad dressing.
Nutrition Analysis: 90 cal, 4.5 g fat, 30 mg chol, 260 mg sodium, 7 g carbs, 1 g fiber, 3 g sugar, 5 g protein.
Jilly Lagasse began cooking as a child when her father, Chef Emeril Lagasse, gave her a set of chef’s whites and let her help in the pastry and dessert department in one of his restaurants. She was diagnosed with celiac disease in 2004 and has written two gluten-free cookbooks with her sister, Jessie Lagasse Swanson, as the duo The Lagasse Girls, www.lagassegirls.com.
