Spicy Melon Cucumber Salad really hits the spot on a sweltering summer evening.
While on a recent trip to Nashville, we enjoyed our share of traditional Southern foods. On our last evening before heading home to Oregon, we decided to venture away from traditional Southern comfort food and barbecue and seek out some of the great new Nashville Chef’s we have been reading about. We found Chef Tandy Wilson’s Restaurant called City House in the Germantown district. Tandy Wilson is a James Beard 2016 Best Chef winner for the Southeast. He has been nominated for 10 years in a row and finally took home the coveted award. His restaurant was a great find nestled in a nice little neighborhood. Every Sunday night, Chef Tandy introduces a Sunday Supper menu utilizing only fresh local ingredients.
Before ordering our meals, the waiter explained that the chef only uses “purposeful” ingredients together in each dish, and we felt like we stepped into an episode of Portlandia. After tasting our starter salad of melon and cucumber with thinly sliced shavings of jalapeño, we were delighted with the cool and refreshing taste of the melon and cucumber combined with a hint of spiciness from the jalapeno. This was definitely a dish with purposeful ingredients! Besides this great salad, be sure to try out their brick oven pizzas. Let me tell you about our pizza topped with buttered corn and bell peppers! The menu was also full of great alternative non-meat meal options that also satisfied our vegetarian dinner mate.
This is my recipe take on re-creating this amazing Spicy Melon Cucumber Salad at home. Check out more Salad and Salad Dressing Recipes.
- 1 honeydew melon, peeled, seeded and cubed
- 2 cucumbers, peeled, sliced and then cut into quarters
- 1/2 Jalepeno chile pepper, seeded and thinly sliced*
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, extra-virgin
- 1 lime
- Salt to taste
- 1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
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In large bowl, combine honeydew melon, cucumber, jalapeño slices, olive oil and juice squeezed from one lime. Stir together to combine. Sprinkle with salt to taste.
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Cover and refrigerate for one hour. Right before serving, pour off any extra liquids and stir in the feta cheese crumbles.
* Use Mandolin or vegetable peeler to get thinly shaved slices of jalapeño or you can finely dice.
