Colorful Calamari, Chile, And Watermelon Salad

Colorful Calamari, Chile, And Watermelon Salad
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Spice up lightly-flavored calamari and sweet watermelon in this crunchy, chewy, and beautiful salad.This recipe is courtesy of Martha Stewart.
Servings
6
servings
Watermelon Salad
Ingredients
  • 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
  • 4 1/2 teaspoon packed light brown sugar
  • 4 1/2 teaspoon fresh lime juice
  • 1 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
  • freshly ground pepper, to taste
  • 1 pound calamari (bodies and tentacles), rinsed and dried
  • 1 pound cockles or small clams, scrubbed
  • 2 1/2 pound watermelon, cut into 1-inch cubes
  • 3 scallions, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped, plus more for garnish
  • 1/2 cup fresh mint, torn, plus more for garnish
  • 1 red chile, thinly sliced
  • 1/3 cup pickled red onion
Directions
  1. Whisk all the ingredients together in a bowl until well combined.
  2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
  3. Prepare an ice water bath.
  4. Using a kitchen mallet, pound the calamari a few times to tenderize. Insert a sharp knife into each calamari body, cut along the seam, and open up. Lightly score inner sides at ¼” intervals. Cut in half lengthways, to form 2 pieces. Slice into triangles, each about 4-inches tall by 1 ½-inches wide. If any of the tentacles are particularly large, slice them in half.
  5. Blanch the calamari in boiling water for 30 seconds. Remove from the water with a slotted spoon, and transfer to the ice bath. Drain and pat dry. Place in a separate bowl.
  6. Put cockles into saucepan, and cover with water by 1-inch. Cover and simmer until shells open, about 7 minutes. Drain. Discard any unopened shells.
  7. Add cockles, watermelon, scallions, cilantro, mint, chile, pickled onion, and dressing to the calamari. Toss to combine. Garnish with extra mint.
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