Watermelon with Goats Cheese, Basil and Sweet Pickled Watermelon

I had planned to put this watermelon recipe on my blog before traveling, but never managed to do so. It’s an easy refreshing salad and the only time-consuming part would be if you planned on using a melon baller to shape the watermelon. Skip this step and cut the watermelon into cubes if you like. Our weather is extremely hot and humid at the moment and less time spent cooking over a hot stove is one way to beat the heat. A piece of grilled fish or chicken would go nicely alongside the watermelon salad, with flavors of goats cheese, fresh basil and little crunchy bits of sweet pickled watermelon rind.

The sweet pickled flavor of watermelon really compliments this salad and easy to make too, if you haven’t tried it before, do give it a try. You can make the pickled watermelon rind a few days before and prepare the melon balls a few hours ahead of time. Not everyone is a fan of goats cheese so substitute with a creamy feta cheese if you like. This salad is best put together before serving. You can even go a step further and spritz a fruit balsamic vinegar over the entire salad right before serving for a quick dressing.

Simple ideas to keep cool in your kitchen this summer… well at least in our part of the world.