Name: Watermelon Tomato Salad With Goat Cheese and Corn Nuts
Yield: Serves 8 as a small plate
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon honey; 1½ tablespoons reserve sherry vinegar; Kosher salt; ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil; ¼ cup corn nuts, preferably Quicos; 4 medium heirloom tomatoes, cut into wedges; 4 cups 1-inch watermelon cubes; ¼ cup very thinly sliced sweet onion; 3 ounces goat cheese, such as Capricho de Cabra; 2 tarragon sprigs

Watermelon Tomato Salad with Goat Cheese and Corn Nuts in a serving platter with a serving spoon.

Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton

My chefs and I like to joke that this salad has one ingredient you could source at the gas station. Corn nuts! Before you balk, consider this: Corn nuts are arguably as whole food as junk food gets—they’re just corn, oil, and salt. In Spain, they’re an enormously popular snack. (If you can find the Quicos ones from Spain, definitely get them.) Even though this salad is all about summery from-the-farm watermelon and tomatoes, the corn nuts make the dish. Their salt and crunch accentuate the juicy sweetness of the fruit. But don’t try putting this together any other season; it won’t be the same. It’s become something we look forward to every summer in the restaurant. While we wait for those heirloom tomatoes, we snack on Quicos in anticipation. Serve this summer salad as part of a no-cook meal on a hot day.

Recipe information

Yield
Serves 8 as a small plate

Ingredients

1 tablespoon honey

1½ tablespoons reserve sherry vinegar

Kosher salt

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

¼ cup corn nuts, preferably Quicos

4 medium heirloom tomatoes, cut into wedges

4 cups 1-inch watermelon cubes

¼ cup very thinly sliced sweet onion

3 ounces goat cheese, such as Capricho de Cabra

2 tarragon sprigs

Preparation

Step 1
Whisk the honey, vinegar, and ½ teaspoon salt in a small bowl. While whisking, add the oil in a slow, steady stream until emulsified.
Step 2
Pulse the corn nuts in a food processor until finely chopped.
Step 3
Arrange the tomatoes in serving dishes in a single layer and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt. Top with the watermelon and onion and drizzle with the dressing. Crumble the goat cheese and pluck the tarragon leaves on top. Sprinkle on the corn nuts and serve immediately.

Excerpted from Cúrate: Authentic Spanish Food from an American Kitchen © 2016 by Katie Button with Genevieve Ko. Excerpted by permission of Flatiron Books, a division of Macmillan Publishers. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher Buy the full book from Macmillan Publishers, Amazon, or Bookshop.