If I’m honest….my favorite thing about watermelon is that it makes for the prettiest photographs! Ok, it tastes pretty good too, especially when it’s in the form of a savory watermelon salad! And since the Texas heat is just insane this summer, there’s lots of watermelon eating going on around these parts.

I love this combination of flavors for this savory watermelon salad. The sweet cool watermelon, with the savory crunch of the fried rosemary and warm olive oil, brought to even greater amazingness with the creamy zing of fresh goat cheese (or as in my case, dairy free ricotta, by Kite Hill). You can make a lot or just a little. That’s how simple it is. Sometimes simple brings the most perfection. Especially on a hot summer day! Enjoy!

Savory Watermelon Salad, with Fried Rosemary

Note: This is such a simple salad, that it’s really more of an inspiration than a recipe. Because of that, I’m only listing the ingredients needed, not how much you need. That amount will vary depending on how watermelon crazy you are! Sharing is optional. Oh, you thought I was going tot say “sharing is caring”, haha….nope.

Ingredients:

Bunch of fresh rosemary
Olive oil
Seedless watermelon
Fresh, soft goat cheese or Kite Hill almond ricotta (Get it HERE)
Cracked pepper and coarse sea salt, to taste

Method:

1. In a frying pan, heat some olive oil over medium heat. I use about 2-3 tablespoons per stalk of rosemary. Add the rosemary stalk or stalks to the oil and gently fry until the rosemary is crispy but not burnt or browned. (The goal is to infuse the oil with the rosemary and at the same time, fry the rosemary till crispy). Remove the rosemary from the oil and drain on a paper towel, then sprinkle with coarse sea salt. Pour the olive oil into a small bowl or container.

2. Cut the watermelon in half, then using a melon baller or small mechanical cookie scoop (like I did in the above picture), scoop out as much watermelon as you like. If it’s really juicy, you might want to let it drain a little before putting it into your serving bowl.

3. Top the watermelon with some crumbled goat cheese or dairy free ricotta…or any ricotta, or anything for that matter!

4. Pour as much as you like, of the infused olive oil onto the salad. Sprinkle on the crispy rosemary, salt and pepper to taste! Now EAT! So good.

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