WATERMELON-BERRY SALAD WITH CHILE DRESSING AND LOTS OF HERBS

Watermelon-Berry Salad With Chile Dressing and Lots of Herbs image

Provided by Gregory Gourdet

Yield Serves 6 to 8

Number Of Ingredients 17

For the dressing:
⅓ cup lime juice (from about 3 juicy limes)
⅓ cup fish sauce
3 tablespoons thinly sliced cilantro stems
3 tablespoons finely chopped palm sugar or coconut sugar
½-inch knob fresh galangal, peeled and roughly sliced against the grain
1 large garlic clove, peeled
1 small moderately hot fresh red chile, such as Fresno or ripe red jalapeño, stemmed and roughly chopped
1 fresh red Thai chile, stemmed
For the salad:
2 pounds peeled watermelon
1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon flaky sea salt
6 cups mixed berries, halved if large
2 large lemongrass stalks trimmed, bruised, then very thinly sliced
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 big handfuls very lightly packed mixed herbs, such as mint leaves, Thai or Italian basil leaves, and small cilantro sprigs

Steps:

Make the dressing:
Combine all the dressing ingredients in a blender and blend on high speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. It keeps in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Shake well before using.
Make the salad:
Cut the watermelon into 3 x 1 x 1-inch sticks, flicking out seeds as you go. You will have about 6 cups. Chill the watermelon in the fridge for at least an hour.
Combine the chilled watermelon and onion in a large mixing bowl and season all over with the flaky salt. Add the berries, lemongrass, and dressing, then toss gently but well. Drizzle on the olive oil, add the herbs, and gently toss once more. Transfer to a platter to serve.