Pete and I have an ongoing debate on the word for “watermelon” in Italian. I favour the word Cocomero (co-co-mer-o) while he prefers Anguria (an-gurr-i-a). Both are correct and seem to be used fairly interchangeably. This, however, does not stop me from sending him photos of any products that say “cocomero” on them for watermelon.
At the Sagras (local fundraising dinners and a future post topic), they will often have a simple cucumber and tomato salad (cetriolo e pomodoro) for a side and a big slice of watermelon (cocomero) for dessert.
While we may disagree on the name, we do agree that cocomero is delicious in the summer, as are the tomatoes and cucumbers.
This salad combines the fresh flavours of summer with some cool cucumber, a slight touch of sour and a little heat. It is light and cool.
Insalata di Cocomero e Pomodoro
Prep time: 15 minutes; Serves: 4
What you need:
- 1 cup watermelon, cubed (approximately 2 large slices, cubed)
- 1 cup grape tomatoes, cut in half (roughly 18 grape tomatoes or 3 medium sized tomatoes cubed)
- 1 medium sized English cucumber, peeled and deseeded, chopped into 1/2 circles
- 1 tbsp mint, finely sliced
- 1 tbsp basil, finely sliced
- 1/2 Thai chili pepper (or jalapeño), deseeded and finely sliced (omit if you don’t want the heat)
- 1/4 cup Quick Pickled Red Onions (see recipe below)
- 1/2 lime, juiced
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- salt & pepper to taste
What you do:
- In a large bowl, add the watermelon cubes
- Add the tomato halves
- Add the cucumber
- Add the sliced mint, basil and Thai chili
- Add the pickled onions
- Gently stir
- In a mason jar, add the lime and lemon juice, add the olive oil, put lid on tightly and shake until blended
- Toss the salad with the dressing
- Season to taste with salt and pepper
- Serve
According to Word Reference:
| Principal Translations/Traduzioni principali | ||
| English | Italiano | |
| watermelon n | (fruit) | cocomero nm |
| anguria nf | ||
| Watermelon is very refreshing in the summer. | ||
| Il cocomero è molto rinfrescante in estate. | ||
Just saying……
Although, I have to give him this one, which was spotted at a Roman gelato store.
Quick Pickled Onions
I love this recipe from Bon Appetite. It is super simple, takes less than 5 minutes and produces red onion pickles that are the MOST gorgeous colour. Christian saw them and announced these were going on his lunch sandwiches. They would also be good on salads, tacos, you name it.
Prep time: 5 minutes & 1+ hour sitting
What you need:
- 1 medium red onion
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup warm water
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
What you do:
- Add sugar and salt to a bowl
- Pour apple cider vinegar and water on top
- Whisk until sugar and salt are dissolved
- Cut onion in half and thinly sliced (use a mandolin)
- Put onions in a 500 ml mason jar
- Pour vinegar mix over the onions
- Seal and place on countertop for at least one hour or refrigerate for several hours
Elin, watermelon salad looks amazing, will be making this recipe this week for sure, just have to pickle the onions! hope you are well and you are having a great summer 🙂
Thanks Jane! The pickled onions are super quick to make and are very yummy! I’ve been putting them on a lot of things besides this salad! Let me know how it turns out, I’m guessing you will be making this version without the Thai chili! 🙂
The pickled onions are great, you were right, they were very easy to make and they are a gorgeous color. I am making the Watermelon salad and the Mango Salsa for the family reunion this weekend, I know both recipes will be a hit 🙂
Are you making it with or without the Thai chilli? Lucky family reunion! Enjoy!