Right Now: Watermelon and Peach Salad

Savory, sweet, and spicy

I was once a watermelon hardliner, secure in my knowledge that seeded watermelon had superior flavor and texture. The labor of seeding said watermelon was the price to be paid for excellent fruit!

I still think that's pretty much true, but after more than a decade of cooking for a family of four, including the unending three meals a day of the Covid era, I have decided that seedless watermelon is good enough because your girl just does not have time for all those seeds.

Perhaps you do have the time and inclination to tackle the seeds. It's not that onerous. If you really want to flex in the watermelon flavor department, seeded is absolutely superior, especially if you can find an heirloom variety grown close to home.

Today's recipe features a simple vegan watermelon salad that can be adapted to suit your tastes. Lime-pickled jalapeño and shallot lend assertive heat and punch up the flavor against the cooling crunch of watermelon and bright, buttery peaches.

I like to make this salad as spicy as possible and included a mix of Aleppo pepper and ground cayenne for added heat. The jalapeño is tempered very quickly in the pickling liquid, so even if you're shy about heat, add a little more than you think you'll need.

Watermelon and Peach Salad