Southerners like to use what is on hand, and they also like to borrow basic dish ideas from other counties and make them uniquely down home.
It seems only logical that folks from the muggy states take summer melons and a ever growing love for Mexican foods and combine the two for this interesting and refreshing salsa.
Summer Melon Salsa
- 1 cup cucumber (peeled, seeds out, cut small)
- 2 cups melon (best if two types like 1 cup watermelon and 1 cup cantaloupe)
- 2 ½ cups chopped up tomato (mix colors here for more visual vaiety)
- ½ cup onion (chopped fine - try red or purple varieties)
- ¼ cup lime juice
- 3 T cilantro (fresh is best)
- 2 T chopped hot pepper (like jalapeno)
- 1 tsp salt (sea salt is good here but plain is fine)
- ¼ tsp pepper (fresh ground pops out the taste better)
Directions:
This one is really easy. Just put everything in the bowl and toss. Chill for an hour or more. Serve with tortilla chips. We especially like the blue tortilla chips, but any kind is fine.
If you grow a garden or hit the farmer's market, then you get most everything here fresh in season. Don't hesitate to play around with the melon varieties. One of my favorites is banana melon. I have to grow that though, because I've never seen it for sale around here.
Summer Melon Salsa is a neat dish to serve when you have company over. It looks very pretty, and it's rather unusual as far as taste. You can always have some traditional bottled salsa available too for those with less adventuresome taste buds.
