Tomato-Watermelon Salad With Anchovy Bread Crumbs
Published July 31, 2024
- Total Time
- 30 minutes
- Prep Time
- 10 minutes
- Cook Time
- 20 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 1pound mixed tomatoes, large tomatoes cut into 1-inch wedges, cherry and grape tomatoes halved (about 2½ cups)
- ½teaspoon red-pepper flakes
- ½teaspoon fine sea salt, more as needed
- 5tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, more for drizzling
- 1garlic clove, grated or finely minced
- 2anchovies, chopped
- ½cup panko bread crumbs
- 1½tablespoons sherry vinegar, more to taste
- ¾cup diced watermelon (½-inch pieces)
- ½cup Kalamata olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
- ½cup thinly sliced red onion
- ½cup torn fresh basil and mint leaves
- Feta or goat cheese, crumbled on top (optional)
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
242 calories; 20 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 14 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 16 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 6 grams sugars; 3 grams protein; 509 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Add cut tomatoes to a medium bowl. Stir in ¼ teaspoon red-pepper flakes and a pinch of salt. Let marinate for 15 minutes to draw out the juices.
- Step 2
Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium. Stir in garlic, remaining ¼ teaspoon red-pepper flakes, chopped anchovies and a small pinch of salt. Let the anchovies bubble and melt into the oil, about 2 minutes.
- Step 3
Stir in the bread crumbs until evenly coated in the anchovy mixture. Toast, stirring until the crumbs are golden brown (careful, you don’t want the garlic to burn), about 2 to 3 minutes. Pour crumbs into a bowl, tossing to cool them. Taste and season with salt if needed.
- Step 4
In a small bowl, whisk ½ teaspoon salt into the sherry vinegar. Whisk in remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil until the vinaigrette emulsifies. Taste for and add more salt or vinegar if needed.
- Step 5
Add the watermelon, olives and red onion to tomatoes. Toss with some of the vinaigrette, adding more gradually as needed. The vinaigrette should coat the salad well but not overwhelm it. Spoon the salad onto a platter. Scatter basil and mint on top. Sprinkle with anchovy bread crumbs at the last minute so that they remain crisp, and top with crumbled feta or goat cheese if you like.
Private Notes
Comments
This looks outstanding and resembles something I had for dinner last night. Regarding the garlic, it does burn and so easily, I rarely 'start' with cooking garlic ahead of adding other ingredients, instead I tend to put it in later during the dish, or before the addition of any liquid.
Re: "Note to anchovy-avoiders: Their presence in the bread crumbs isn’t obvious or assertive. They melt into the oil, leaving behind just a hint of their saline, umami character." The non-obvious presence of the fish may help some, but as a courtesy to vegetarians and those with allergies (and yes, anchovies can trigger shellfish allergies even though they're not a shellfish), please do alert those you're sharing this with – especially if you bring it to a potluck picnic.
The best salad I have ever eaten! And I don’t like tomatoes and my husband hates anchovies. We ate almost the whole platter, save one cup. The only problem is that I was planning on leftovers tomorrow.
I don’t normally like watermelon much, but got one and many tomatoes from my farm share, so I made this last night and husband and I devoured the whole thing. Finished with blue cheese as that was what we had. Delicious!
Loved everything about this salad. I must confess tho, I double the watermelon, and honestly next time I'll probably add a bit more maybe 2 cups.
Next time I will drain the tomatoes after the marinating stage before adding the other ingredients…or possibly draining and patting the tomatoes dry before marinating. It was a bit of a floppy mess and I only used half of the dressing. Flavors were good, though, and I will definitely be adding the anchovy breadcrumbs to my next batch of linguine and clams.
@Molly W, I wondered whether to (as the recipe didn’t explicitly specify) and ultimately decided to drain the tomatoes (the tomato water had seemed a little too salty so I removed it and I added back maybe 1/5th of it) and thought it worked out well that way.