Watermelon: Fresh ideas for an American summer staple

I’m well aware that a Canadian-born chef isn’t supposed to harbor great insights about Southern cuisine, said Hugh Acheson in A New Turn in the South (Clarkson Potter). But my career in the kitchen has landed me in a “happily strange” situation: I’ve moved to Georgia three times since I turned 11, and each time have fallen hard for the region and its food. At the same time, I still have the advantages of an outsider. I feel free to “turn the traditions on their head a little bit.”

Georgia remains a farming state, as it’s been throughout its history, so my take on Southern cooking starts with the bounty of the land. There are more watermelons in Georgia than we can keep refrigerated, so I never regard them as just a dessert.

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Watermelon salad with feta, arugula, and serrano chile vinaigrette

• 1 medium seedless watermelon
• ½ lb feta
• 6 tbsp serrano chile vinaigrette (below)
• 1 serrano chile, thinly sliced
• ¼ lb baby arugula leaves
• ½ tsp kosher salt

Cut flesh of watermelon into 16 three-inch squares, each ¼-inch thick. Cut feta into 16 three-inch squares, each ¼-inch thick.

Shake vinaigrette vigorously. Place watermelon squares, serrano slices, and arugula in a large bowl, and dress with half of the vinaigrette. Season lightly with salt.

Lay out four plates. Place a small amount of dressed arugula on each plate, then 1 slice of watermelon, then 1 slice of feta. Repeat until each plate has 4 slices of watermelon and 4 slices of feta. Garnish with serrano slices and drizzle a touch of remaining vinaigrette around each plate. Serves 4.

For the chile vinaigrette

• ½ cup olive oil
• 1 tbsp fresh-squeezed lime juice
• 1 tbsp champagne vinegar
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1 serrano chile, thinly sliced
• ½ tbsp chopped fresh thyme
• ¼ tsp kosher salt

Combine all ingredients in a container, close the lid, and shake vigorously. Vinaigrette will last for 10 days in fridge, and will increase in heat as it sits. Makes 1 cup.

Watermelon limeade

• ½ cup fine turbinado sugar
• 4 cups cubed watermelon flesh
• ½ cup fresh-squeezed lime juice
• 1 cup soda water
• 6 slices of lime, for garnish

Make simple syrup by combining sugar with 1 cup water in a small saucepan over low heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool.

Place watermelon in a blender, packing the cubes down so the blender can do its magic. Puree watermelon into watermelon water. Pour into a pitcher and add lime juice. Add 3 tbsp of simple syrup and reserve rest for another use. To serve, fill 6 pint glasses with ice and pour watermelon limeade into each, up to an inch from the top. Top each glass with soda and garnish with lime slice. Serves 6.