Sharing a fun salad today that is perfect for summer entertaining – cucumber melon radish salad with a fresh, spicy serrano chive vinaigrette. It’s a crisp, refreshing dish that has a really unique combination of flavors and textures.
I’ve been trying to come up with recipes lately that are really simple in preparation, yet are super intriguing in flavor. I think this is what most of you want (dishes that are unique and definitely not boring, but aren’t crazy complicated).
Summer is the best time to create these kinds of recipes because of all the beautiful produce out. And this cucumber melon radish salad fits right in.
There’s nothing difficult about this recipe at all, but I’m hoping you find it to be as exciting of a flavor + texture combo as I do!
Here’s what we’ve got going on…
Crisp and refreshing cucumber, sweet honeydew melon, sharp radishes, creamy ricotta cheese, toasted pistachios, and a slightly spicy, tangy serrano chive vinaigrette.
And trust me, this may sound a little out there…but it’s one of my favorite dishes I’ve made this summer. Serve it all on a large platter and it’s perfect for entertaining. I actually made it for a family gathering a couple weeks ago as an appetizer, alongside this grilled pepper tart. So fresh. So simple. So good.
PrintCucumber Melon Radish Salad with Serrano Chive Vinaigrette
a fresh cucumber melon radish salad with a spicy, tangy serrano chive vinaigrette…all sitting on top of creamy ricotta cheese
serves: 6-8
Ingredients
Serrano Chive Vinaigrette
- 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 serrano peppers, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp minced chives
- 1/3 cup chopped toasted pistachios
- kosher salt
Cucumber Melon Radish Salad
- 1 cucumber
- 1 watermelon radish
- 4 radishes
- 1 honeydew melon
- 15 oz whole milk ricotta cheese
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
Instructions
Serrano Chive Vinaigrette
- Whisk the vinegar and olive oil together in a small bowl.
- Stir in the serrano peppers and chives.
- Right before serving, stir in the pistachios.
- Season with salt to taste.
Cucumber Melon Radish Salad
- Trim the ends off the cucumber. Use a mandolin to slice the cucumber into very thin rounds (adjust the settings of the microplane until the cucumber is just almost paper thin, but still has a bit of a bite).
- Trim the ends and skin off the watermelon radish. Repeat with the mandolin, slicing the radish into very thin rounds.
- Trim the ends off each radish. Repeat with the mandolin, slicing the radishes into very thin rounds.
- Trim the ends off the honeydew melon. Place the melon on a flat end and use your knife to work around the melon, slicing off the skin. Scoop out the seeds of each half. Place each half onto its flat slide. Cut each half into ¼” slices of melon.
- Whisk together the ricotta cheese, olive oil, and salt. Spread the mixture onto a large plate or platter.
- Arrange the melon on top of the ricotta. Layer the slices of cucumber, watermelon radish, and radish over the melon. Generously drizzle the serrano chive vinaigrette over top.
Notes
For extra crisp cucumber and radish slices, place them into ice water for about 15 minutes and then pat fully dry before assembling the salad.
