Juicy summer melons and grapes pair perfectly with salmon in this light and delightful main-course salad. The tang of citrus and smooth sweetness of honey accent the dressing, which helps to blend the different tastes without blurring their individuality.
SERVES 4 TO 6
HONEY-CORIANDER DRESSING
| Zest and juice of 1 orange | |
| ⅓ | cup vegetable oil |
| 2 | tablespoons honey |
| 1 | tablespoon cider vinegar |
| 1 | tablespoon minced onion |
| ½ | teaspoon ground coriander |
| ¼ | teaspoon dry mustard |
| ¼ | teaspoon kosher salt or other coarse salt |
| 8-ounce to 10-ounce skin-on salmon fillet | |
| Vegetable oil | |
| Kosher salt or other coarse salt | |
| 1½ | cups cubed cantaloupe or other orange-fleshed melon |
| 1½ | cups cubed honeydew or Ogan melon or other green-fleshed melon |
| ½ | cup halved seedless red grapes |
| Watercress, for garnish |
Prepare the dressing, combining the ingredients in a blender. (The dressing can be made a day ahead and refrigerated, but if the honey coagulates, blend it again before serving.)
Fire up the grill, bringing the temperature to high (1 to 2 seconds with the hand test).
Coat the salmon lightly with oil and sprinkle it with salt. Let it sit covered at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes.
Transfer the salmon to a well-oiled grate, skin-side down. Grill the salmon uncovered over high heat for 5 to 6 minutes, until the skin chars nearly black. Turn the salmon and cook an additional 3 to 3½ minutes, rotating the fillets 180° once. If there is any resistance when you turn or rotate the fish, re-oil the grate. The salmon is done when just barely opaque pink at the center with a touch of translucence remaining. If grilling covered, cook the salmon for the same amount of time, turning and rotating in a similar manner.
Carefully strip the skin off the bottom of each salmon fillet and chill for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours. With a sharp knife, cut the salmon as neatly as possible into bite-size chunks.
In a bowl, toss both types of melons and the grapes together with the dressing. Spoon the fruit onto a platter or large shallow bowl. Add the chilled salmon and combine gently. Tuck watercress around the edges and serve.
Many of the recipes in this chapter evolved out of lowly leftovers, scraps of grilled food that we saved until the next day and then used to liven up salads, pastas, and other dishes. These almost-accidental creations proved so tasty, they became intentional. Now we make most of the dishes fresh as a way to stretch grilled food and to enjoy it in lighter, healthier ways.
We haven't abandoned our old leftovers mentality, though. It led us to such good meals, we made it standard procedure. Any time we're grilling, we think ahead about ways we might recycle what we're cooking. Some foods save better than others, of course, and most things don't survive well beyond a day or two, but when the ingredients and timing work, we grill extra amounts for deliberate leftovers.
Try that with the appropriate dishes in this chapter, or just use them as examples for creating your own concoctions that allow you to cook a couple of meals at once. We provide instructions for making everything here from scratch, but all the options except the Chesapeake Soft-Shells Salad, the Vietnamese Fajitas Salad, and the Paella Mixed Grill can be prepared from compatible leftovers, usually with only a small loss in flavor. Consider other possibilities as well, such as Saturday's chicken in a Sunday pot pie, vegetables or seafood for the next morning's omelet, or enough spare sirloin for a big pot of chili that'll keep you fired up for a week. With a little advance planning, grilling keeps on giving.