Chef Sami Tamimi shares his recipe for Melon and Cucumber Salad

Melon and cucumber salad with elderflower dressing and crispy nutty breadcrumbs 

This is a very summery plate of food which is utterly refreshing and exactly what we all should be eating on hot summer days.  I love making dishes like this salad, which are super easy to prepare. You can serve this dish as part of a spread or at the end of the meal.

Serves 2-4 

Ingredients:

1 small ripe melon (1500g), such as cantaloupe or other orange flesh melon
1-2 English cucumber, 400g, peeled and cut into 2cm chunks 
2 tbsp shop bought dry breadcrumbs 
20g unblanched almonds, thinly sliced 
2 tbsp lemon juice 
3 tbsp good olive oil 
1 tbsp elderflower cordial
Salt  
20 small mint leaves 

Method:

Peel the melon, remove the seeds and cut the flesh into 3cm chunks. Put both the melon and cucumber in a large mixing bowl, cover and store in the fridge until needed. 

Put 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a small frying pan and add the breadcrumbs and almonds and cook stirring from a few times on a medium heat for five minutes or until golden. Take off the heat and transfer the mixture into a plate and leave aside until it’s completely cooled. 

While the breadcrumb mixture is cooling, you can make the dressing. Start by putting the lemon juice, the remaining olive oil and the elderflower cordial in a small jar which has a lid. Add ¼ teaspoon salt and a good ground black pepper. Pop on the lid and shake the jar for a few seconds to combine. 

When ready to assemble the salad, pour the dressing on the melon and cucumber and add a small pinch of salt. Mix well to coat and then transfer the mixture into serving platter and sprinkle with the breadcrumb and almond and finally garnish with the mint leaves.