Tomato, melon and cucumber salad with sesame dressing recipe

This zippy salad is inspired by a standout dish of cucumbers and tomatoes I ate at a dinner in Rome, said Thomasina Miers, and also by the quality of the tomatoes in Mexico. The combination of nutty sesame with bright, sharp citrus and green chilli, along with those lovely fruits, makes it heady but refreshing – perfect for a summer's day.

Ingredients (serves four to six as a side)

• 360g mixed tomatoes
• 480g melon
• 300g cucumber
• handful of flat-leaf parsley leaves

For the dressing:

• 60g sesame seeds, freshly toasted
• 1 green chilli
• 1 garlic clove, skin on
• ½ tsp cumin seeds
• ½ tsp Mexican oregano
• zest and juice of 1 lime, plus extra to taste
• ½ tbsp maple syrup, plus extra to taste
• 120ml extra virgin olive oil

Method

• Cut the tomatoes into large chunks and put into a large mixing bowl. You are looking for fun, rough, diamond-shaped cuts, so think slants and bias-slices. Peel and deseed the melon, then cut into similar-sized pieces to the tomatoes and add to the bowl. Peel, halve and deseed the cucumber, cut it in the same way, adding it to the bowl. Season the lot with ½ a teaspoon of sea salt and black pepper, then set aside.
• To make the dressing, heat a small dry frying pan over a medium heat. Add the sesame seeds, chilli and garlic and toast for 6-7 minutes until the sesame is caramel-coloured and the chilli and garlic are charred all over. Add the cumin seeds for the final minute, then turn off the heat.
• Transfer the chilli and peeled garlic to a small food processor, along with the oregano, lime zest and juice, maple syrup and ½ a teaspoon of sea salt; blitz to combine. Roughly crush the sesame and cumin seeds using a pestle and mortar; reserve a tablespoon of this for later, and whisk the rest into the dressing, along with the olive oil. The dressing should have lots of texture and flavour.
• Now drain the juices that have collected in the bottom of the fruit bowl and whisk into the dressing. Toss the fruit in the dressing and check the seasoning, adding more salt, maple syrup or lime as necessary for a deliciously rich, tangy flavour. Serve at once, scattered with the parsley and reserved seeds.

Taken from Mexican Table: 100 Recipes, 12 Ingredients from the Heart of Mexico by Thomasina Miers.

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