Sweet, juicy, crispy…..who doesn’t love watermelon? Even the August/September issue of Saveur is dedicated to this gem of a fruit. I normally do not like fruits in my food but when I tried the Mediterranean Salad (with Feta cheese and watermelon) at The Oriental, I have been using watermelon in my salads more and more often. I hope this trend will help bring back a very traditional Thai dish – Watermelon with Dried Fish Topping – that even most Thais have sadly forgotten. In fact, it’s my favorite snack at the moment with a little twist. It’s usually made with catfish but I use salmon instead (gave up eating catfish long ago). To give it extra crunch I sometimes add Sakura Ebi. It may seem an unlikely combination but the sweet and salty crunch of the fish topping with juicy cold watermelon is just very refreshing especially on a very hot day. I have also tried it with several other fish: mackerel, cod and Japanese saba. The mackerel and saba was too fishy (pun unintended, really). Cod was not bad but the salmon wins hands down.

Ingredients:

As much watermelon as you like (cut into bite size pieces)

150 grams of salmon

1 tablespoon or more of sakura ebi

1 tablespoon of fried shallots

1 tablespoon of cooking oil

Sugar and salt to taste

1. Cut the salmon into thin slices. Put into oven at 100 degrees Celcius. Keep an eye on it as they brown fast. (Shouldn’t take more than 20 minutes). When they are crispy and golden brown, remove from oven.

2. Put the above in a motar and pestle and start pounding until they are fluffed like pork floss. Unfortunately, you can’t use a food processor. It won’t “fluff”.

3. Set a pan on low heat and add 1 tablespoon of oil. Slowly fry the Sakura Ebi. When it starts to brown add in the sugar. I personally use no more then 1 tablespoon so the sugar won’t mask the sweetness of the watermelon. Just as the shrimp starts to caramelize, add in the salmon. Stir fry quickly so the mixture won’t burn. When the salmon is fried crispy season with a little salt. Mix well and remove from pan.

4. Add the fried shallots to the salmon and serve with watermelon on the side.

5. Top watermelon with the salmon and enjoy!

Tip: For extra kick, sprinkle with chili powder before eating!